Trust Me
by sutyinabox
Summary: Following the disaster in Washington, Steve and Natasha become closer than before, and Natasha gets pregnant. Unfortunately, Tony's jokes are the least of their concerns (and those are some pretty bad jokes).
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I don't even think I own the pen that I wrote this with, so I certainly own nothing relating to Marvel. **

**Join me aboard to Romanoff train. Not entirely sure where this came from, but I hope you enjoy!**

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Natasha Romanoff use to think that people who suffered from nightmares were over dramatic when it came to their immediate reactions of them. But, things had long changed since then. And that particular night, she awoke from another one, shooting straight up in bed. Typical, she was even short of breath, gasping for air, eyes adjusting to the poor light in the room. Her hand slowly loosened its assassins grip on the bed sheet, she pulled the excess sheet further up her exposed body.

A hand reached over from her let side, splaying out over her stomach in a weak attempt at comfort.

" It's okay" Steve muttered from where he laid next to her in the bed. He had hardly woken up, and was still face down, almost eating his own pillow.

But hearing his voice was assurance enough, and her hand rested on top of his. The other hand attempted to quickly clasp over her mouth before a rogue sob escaped. But, it was too late, and that on its own was enough to wake up Steve.

" Nat" he pushed himself up on the mattress, " what happened?"

She gently laid herself back down, trying to find comfort in the aftermath, " just another nightmare" she whispered, scooting herself closer to him, " I'm sorry I woke you."

Steve flipped onto his back, stretching his arm as an invitation for her to cuddle, " don't be sorry."

And cuddle she did. Her head rested on his chest as his arm wrapped instinctively around her. Even after so many nights next to each other, she was still overwhelmed with the feeling of comfort she got just from laying so close to him. The warmth from his body, and simply the feel of his weight laying next o hers.

" Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, so softly that she mostly heard his voice form having her hear on his chest.

" It's nothing different" her fingers traced along the raised skin under the fabric of his shirt. Fresh wounds that were still healing from the events back in Washington.

But, he didn't want her mind to wander there, not again, not for another sleepless night. He began to gently caress her back, " I didn't die, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere", he already knew the details of her nightmares.

Her back slightly arched towards his hand, the motions causing the fabric of her shirt to scratch her skin, " we don't know who is going where, Steve."

Natasha was also not one to doubt or be uncertain about anything, at least on the outside. After the disaster in the Potomac River, Steve was missing for four days. It was assumed that he had drowned or was otherwise dead, with his body being lost in the wreckage. Both Natasha and sam refused to accept that, and searched the surrounding area for days. And it was Natasha who found him unconscious in the river bank, bruised and broken from his fight with the Winter Soldier. Though Steve was convinced thats who pulled him out of the water in the first place.

There had been no trace of the Winter Soldier since, and due to extenuating circumstances, Steve's search for him was put on hold. Despite everything that was currently going on, Natasha knew it picked away from him, even if he did choose to keep that part to himself.

" Now isn't the time to give up" he said, mouth then pressing to the top of her head.

That, she could agree with, especially since they should have both been dead several times by now. " I'm not giving up, I just don't want to push any further and somehow lose you."

" You won't lose me."

Natasha curled her arm around his waist, " what do we do now?"

The breaths in his chest became deeper and more drawn out, " we wait, and I know you don't like waiting, but we need to hold still. Just for a little while."

He soon fell asleep, and even though he was still there, it felt like he had left and she was alone. Not as alone as she would have been had he actually drowned, and she was grateful for that. Just like she was grateful that Sam had stayed in the hospital with her while Steve was there, still unconscious.. Natasha was present when Captain America was discovered, and when SHIELD went through the process of defrosting him, after the initial shock that he was even alive to begin with. The incident in the Potomac was different, because he was no longer Captain America, the hero centered around all the stories that everyone was told over the years. Now, he was Steve Rogers, at least to her.

And that was something much more important. He had a habit of not dying, not leaving her, and she wanted to make sure that it stayed that way.

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**about a week later**

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A sleepy Steve Rogers stretched his arms and legs, in what he assumed were the late morning hours. Very late, actually, and he knew that before he even fully woke up. Mid-stretch, he realized that the other side of the bed was empty, and it certainly wasn't a surprise that Natasha didn't oversleep. In fact, he was surprised enough that she let him sleep in, and when he finally did open his eyes, he saw that she wasn't even in the bedroom.

It was a gray day, certainly not something they were used to. The house was more windows than anything, giving them a daily glimpse of the surroundings- the beach, and empty beach at that. No one and nothing around them for miles, only the wide open ocean. Their hideout was cleverly disguised as a lovers paradise.

Steve wandered downstairs to the kitchen, not concerned about finding any additional clothing to put on. The palm trees outside danced in the harsh breeze, and the house was close enough that he could see the waves were capped with white foam. If he was certain of their exact location, keeping track of the weather would be much easier, but that was not the case.

He was pouring himself a glass of juice when he saw Natasha, clad in running gear, coming up the steps to the back door, and retrieved another glass form the cabinet. She threw pen the glass door, heaving for air, and yanking her headphones out of her ears.

" The way you've been running, I'm worried one time you just won't come back."

Natasha smirked, accepting the juice from him, " I did a ten mile radius, so far, just us around here."

Steve's eyebrows jumped as he took a sip from his own glass, " ten? you just did eight last night."

" Not all of us were gifted with metabolism thats, what, four times faster than the average human?"

" That's true."

She brushed past him, almost purposely wanting to make contact, " I'm starting to feel flabby, sitting around here all day"

" Is telling a girl she's not fat the same as it was in the forties?"

Natasha found his attempts to flirt both adorable and hopeless. Fortunate for him, she was already interested. And, she reminded him of that by perching herself on tip toe and kissing him on the cheek. " I do appreciate the gesture" and Steve felt proud of that, " any news?"

She would ask the same thing each day, at any given chance. It was Nicky Fury who sent them into hiding, and it would be the same person who would notify them on what to do next- though she would settle for any kind of update. And yet, no messages, no phone calls, nothing. The same would be for today, as well, Steve shook his head to confirm that.

And she groaned with frustration, " we're sitting ducks. Useless sitting ducks. How do we know something isn't happening, something we could be helping with? Especially since we don't even know where we are to begin with."

Despite her anger, Steve did admire her ambition. " A lot of people think we're the bad guys, laying low may be the best option for us right now."

" We're not the bad guys" Natasha pouted, " and I thought you would be the anxious one, not me."

Steve shrugged, " not much I can do about it right now. And at least I have you, that's one person I can guarantee their whereabouts "

Natasha watched as his expression began to soften, her mind set did as well. She pushed herself off the counter to stand in front of him, fingers gently tugging at the front of his shirt, " he was a renowned master of people not knowing where he was, and that kind of training sticks with you no matter what, believe me. Bucky knows exactly how to lay low, and that's exactly what he'll do."

He looked up at her, she was waiting to meet his gaze, " I hope you're right" he said softly.

She enjoyed hoping she was right, as well. " Once we're able to, we can find him, and I will help you find him. Anything that we can do to help, we will do."

" Thank you" he said, " I just hope he's safe."

" He's probably safer than we are right now."

He pulled her closer into a hug, " I'll keep you safe."

She smiled against his shirt, " and I'll protect you."

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" Steve! Lets go!" Natasha yelled from the back patio, " you're worse than I am, I swear you are."

Natasha had spent half the day figuring out the hot tub that had been located on the property, and then the rest of it convincing Steve to go in it. He still wasn't fond of the idea, more so when she found bathing suits in an upstairs dresser (slightly odd considering they were not sure who had ever been in that house before them). She had found herself a neon green bikini, almost looking like something she would have picked out for herself to show off, but she certainly didn't.

There was, however, only found that was found that had any chance of fitting Steve. The agony of that became expressive when Natasha snickered as Steve stepped onto the back porch, and her attempts to cover her amusement were not quick enough. The white board shorts he wore were covered in red stars, and were just a little too short on him. Never the less, he was sulking.

" I'm sorry" she cried, still laughing, and poorly attempting to hide it. She walked over to him, arms brushing against the waistband of the shorts, " I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. They look really patriotic on you, you should be proud."

Steve let out a groan, " I much rather be wearing what you have on" Natasha snorted, " and I told you that you still looked great in a bikini."

Her hand closed around his, " thank you" and he began to lead him towards the jacuzzi, " I can't believe you've never been in one of these before."

" There hasn't been much time for relaxation since I woke up."

Natasha stepped into the hot water first, he followed her down the steps, "fair enough, but you'll love it." She motioned for him to sit , while she pushed a button on the side to activate the jets, which took Steve a little by surprise, much to her amusement. She sat along the plastic edge, pushing herself so that she was straddled behind where Steve sat. He was forced forward as her body slid in behind his, sinking under the surface of the water, instantly soothing any discomfort she had.

" What the heck are you doing?" he asked, almost sounding annoyed as she situated herself behind him. Her arms and legs encircled around him, her legs resting on his thighs, " no, no, I can hold you" he insisted.

But she wasn't falling for that. Natasha kissed his bare shoulder, above a patch of freckles, " no, I got you."

They sat in silence, at least among themselves. There was the rustle of the whirlpool jets, and, in the not so distance, the ocean. Steve touched any part of her that he had access to, mostly her legs. Natasha kept a strong hold on him, considering the size difference. her hands roamed up and down his chest, nuzzling his neck.

" What are you doing?" he whispered, realizing that she had both untied and removed her top, now pressing her bare chest on his bare back.

" I just want to be close" she answered.

Steve turned his head as much as he could to be able to see her, " I wish you would tell me whats going on in your head sometimes."

Natasha leaned forward to close the distance between them and kissed Steve. The kiss lingered long enough that he turned to the side, relieving any strain as he returned the gesture, the movement caused her to slip further into his lap.

The two of them had become adjusted to being alone, their only contact being with one another since they were forced out of Washington, so it did come as a shock when Tony Stark was suddenly standing on the back patio, looking over the jacuzzi.

" Well, well, well, what do we have here?"


	2. Chapter Two

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and the follows/favorites. Hopefully, everyone continues to enjoy this. And I still don't own squat!**

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Steve pulled away from Natasha so fast, that he was convinced he had torn off part of his bottom lip. As Tony continued his menacing laugh, Natasha slithered her way behind Steve's back yet again, and he protectively covered her until she had securely replaced her bathing suit top.

" Did I interrupt something?" Tony asked.

Natasha groaned, pushing herself out of the water to sit on the edge of the jacuzzi, leaving Steve frustrated and alone. " Stark" she muttered, " wasn't expecting you here."

Tony kicked off his shoes and bent over to yank off his socks. Once his pant legs were pushed up, he sat near the steps of the jacuzzi and submerged his feet. That easily forced Steve out of the water and sitting next to Natasha.

" Cap, you bring cradle robbing to a whole new level" Tony said, smirking, " I'm proud of you!"

Natasha spun herself around, standing on the patio, grabbing one of the beach towels that she had brought out earlier, and handed the other to Steve. " For crying out loud!" she yelled at Tony.

But their embarrassment only heightened his amusement, " do I have to change the sheets? It's fine if I do, I just rather know now."

Steve rolled his eyes, " what are you doing here?"

" Is everything alright?" Natasha added, hoping for some kind of update, even if the source was a little flimsy.

Tony shrugged, thinking the others were as informed as he was up until now, " this is my place" the two gave him blank, yet surprised, glares, " yeah, Fury needed places for people to hide. And this place just screams scarce, as you have clearly discovered."

Both Steve and Natasha's eyes lit up. Their transportation to the house had been secretive, to the point where they were blind folded, and were told it was for their own protection. They had guesses as to where they were, but no confirmation . No contact with the outside world did not help much either.

" So, where are we?" Steve asked, very casually, kind of bummed that he was at Tony's mercy for information .

Tony knew that, too, " Key West. Florida, still in the United States, so you're still a Captain."

Natasha sighed, relieved that at least one mystery was solved. She rested her head on Steve's shoulder, one arm circling around his waist. Steve was nervous with Stark's glare on him, but they had already been caught, no point in being shy now.

" This is so cute" Tony nearly squealed, feet stomping in the water, " this is perfect. You needed someone who could kick your ass, she needed someone whose ass she could kick. Perfect blend."

Steve held up his hand to stop him, " we get it, it's adorable."

Tony laughed, " how long has this been going on? Since New York? How is Legalos taking this?"

Natasha rolled her head on the shoulder that was underneath it, " did you come here for any other reason other than to make jokes?"

" Yeah, probably."

" Tony!" she yelled, " are we allowed to go back or not?!"

They watched the newest arrival very closely, his expressed softened and he almost looked somber. Highly unlikely, if not unheard of with Tony Stark. Unless, he was about to wise crack again. But this time, he didn't.

" No one has a home right now, none of us. We're all in hiding, I don't know where anyone else is, not even Banner. I barely knew you two were down here, thought I would just check up."

She squeezed Steve a little harder, and he felt it. Being alone as difficult for them, but now, having a peek at the reality of the situation was only more of a stomach ache. Their team, the Avengers as they were once called, were in just in much danger, and staying just as hidden.

" Fury is convinced that we're all still targeted, and that Hydra group is still lurking about, or maybe SHIELD, he's not even sure. Something about how I was almost assassinated, bad guy with a metal arm, the guy can go on for awhile."

Natasha pointed to the side of Steve's head, " he's the reason you were NOT assassinated, by the way." Steve flashed an intentional cheesy grin, and she decided that any mention of the Winter Soldier, and who he really was, would come from Steve and only Steve.

Tony leaned forward to glare at the captain, " so, I'm going to have to fight nat here to be your number one, am I?"

That was the closest thing to an apology that Steve was going to receive, but knew that Tony was appreciative just the same.

Storm clouds from earlier in the day had returned, bringing the winds along with it. It was enough to force them to head inside, and Steve went first to make sure he was able to hold the door open for the other two.

" You being serious kind of creeps me out, Stark" Natasha mumbled, strolling to catch up with Steve, " I'd settle for a fart joke."

Tony turned his back towards the door, so that he was only facing her. His hand quickly patted her stomach, " something you want to share with the class there, Natasha?" He skipped ahead, leaving her alone to drag her jaw across the patio.

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The three of them had sat down to dinner, there was never a solid answer to several lingering questions about Tony's arrival. However, there was no clarification as to why he was there, how he got there while still in hiding, or who had sent him. The best Steve and Natasha could come up with was that they were still safe, and they could pin point the next steps the following morning. One more unsettling night should be manageable for them.

Tony settled himself into the guest room, leaving them where they had been staying (" I'll leave you two with your dirty sheets" he had said).

" I don't like the fact that Tony Stark wants to make a plan, actually wants to plot out the next steps" Natasha said.

She was sprawled out on the bed, hand resting over the tank top she was going to sleep in. Steve had just gotten out of the shower and was standing in the adjoining bathroom.

" I think it's more unsettling that it was believed that Tony Stark could be hidden in the first place" he added while drying off.

Natasha laughed, " we shouldn't be surprised he showed up. But it's weird that we would be sent to one of his vacation houses.

Steve emerged from the bathroom, having only put on a pair of shorts, " it's kind of brilliant, maybe. If someone is after us, they wouldn't think to look here. It's so obvious."

" So, we aren't in hiding then?"

He laid down on the bed next to her, head resting next to her tummy, " I'm not sure, we didn't discuss hiding anything. Besides, if Tony knows, everyone will. Bucky may even know by now."

She almost snorted, running her fingers through his damp hair, " I meant in hiding so we don't get killed, but its good to know where that stands, as well."

Steve blushed a little, as expected. " Oh, sorry."

" Don't be. You're absolutely right, Tony is his own public service announcement. And there's no use in denying it to him, he witnessed you getting to second base."

" Second base?"

" You copped a feel."

" Oh, right."

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Later into the night, Steve laid wide awake, staring up at the ceiling that was blocked out by the darkness. With silence all around the room, he could only hear Natasha breathing with her body curled up against him, and he had felt guilty for letting her out of his embrace from earlier. But she was sleeping so soundly, he didn't want his restlessness to disrupt her.

Which is why he quietly left the bed and headed downstairs. He was cautious as to not risk waking Tony either, but instead, found him in the kitchen. Stark sat at the counter, two glasses of milk already poured, like he had been waiting.

" Serious question" Tony began, " did being a capsicle remove your need to sleep? You had a good rest, is that it?"

Steve couldn't help but smirk, it was a common question he was asked. It was one of the few things about his return to the world that only he knew the answer to. " Everything physically went back to normal, so far. Natasha and I have just been taking turns not sleeping at night it seems" Tony laughed and Steve rolled his eyes as he sat in the neighboring chair, " well, it can't get worse than you catching us."

" I know, it's horrendous" Tony said, still laughing, " but, really, its cute. My only regret is that you're not Russian, I've had a Soviet Union line banked for her for a long time."

Steve took the untouched glass of milk, " well, thanks. I almost feel like I just got her dads approval."

" Uh, no, keep in mind you're the old man here, and I have not reproduced. That I'm aware of, but I'm pretty sure." Tony looked like he was going through a mental list out of oncoming fear, " how did this happen? I don't ask to make jokes, but I probably will. She's always had this very reinforced concrete vibe to her, and I once had you convinced that there actually was a World War III."

That was true.

But Steve did not want to bring up what happened in Washington, not yet, and it seemed as though Tony was recognizing that boundary for the time being. Perhaps he would soon find out that the Winter Soldier was an old friend, and the overwhelming pain that came with that. Not to mention becoming public enemy number one, and his plan to find Bucky being called off before it even started to go into hiding. He felt worthless, but, in a way, it all led to this.

" She was there, she's always been there" he said, " things were always weird since waking up, and it's gotten better, but since she was always behind me if things took a bad turn."

Tony smacked his now empty glass on the counter top, " I'm going to tell you something, and don't tell something, and don't tell her because, then, we're both in trouble" and he leaned forward in case Natasha was somehow lurking nearby, " her and I were still cleaning up the whole Vanko at the expo thing, when you were found. And they wanted to thaw you out for a proper burial but, spoiler alert, you were alive."

" Thanks for the recap."

" Nice pun! Anyways, she was right there while you were out cold, her and Agent, but mostly her. She was determined to be there when you woke up, and was really upset that she missed it. The whole Russian, tough girl exterior came down because she didn't want you to come to and be alone. So, there."

Natasha had never even hinted at any of this. He could recall her being at the New York base of SHIELD after Fury dragged him out of Time Square when he first woke up . But she was so reserved, that he was even afraid to ask where the bathroom was. Heck, she was still reserved, only now she had just let him on the other side of it.

" Wow" Steve finally responded, finally absorbing what had just been told to him, " guess its a good thing I defrosted, then."

" Ha!" Tony exclaimed, " welcome to dating in the twenty-first century. It's crazy, they can pierce anything these days" and he laughed again at how pale Steve had suddenly become.

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Steve slowly crept his way back into the bedroom, careful as to not disturb Natasha. Once he had the door open enough for him to get in, he saw the bathroom light was on. She was already up. Always the concerned citizen, he headed right for the door, and bumped into a sleepy Natasha along the way.

" Where were you?" she muttered, almost whining, leaning against him like she hadn't seen him in ages.

He gently propped her chin up and kissed her, his way of showing appreciation for all she had done before they had formally met, and without her knowing that was why. His hands roamed across her back, and he felt hers come to rest on his hips. It was certainly an intense kiss, but soft considering the situation just the same.

They slowly broke apart, he stayed close by in case she wanted to come in for more.

But, instead.

" Steve, I just threw up."

He stood up straight, " just now?" she nodded apologetically, concerned that he was disgusted, but showed no signs of it. " I'm sorry, what's wrong?"

Natasha groaned, both from exhaustion and illness. She brushed by him but stopped partway before reaching the bed. The bathroom light had stayed on, and gave enough so that he able to see her very clearly as her arms wrapped around herself.

" Are you okay?" he asked again

She turned around again, letting out a long sigh, and Steve suddenly felt the need to be on guard.

" I'm going to tell you something, and I don't want you to black out or anything, because, well, I'm not even sure how I'm handling this just yet. And I wasn't going to say anything, but, then that's not fair to you."

His inability to read her was beginning to make him think that he was next in line to be sick.

" There's a chance that I may be pregnant."


	3. Chapter Three

**I apologize for the short chapter. I'm not entirely pleased with it, but onward we go!**

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Steve was not sure how he ended up on the floor, but when he felt the wall behind his head, he realized that he was now sitting down. Natasha took note on how he was only making small noises, no actual words, not yet. She sat down after he did, staying close by and on guard.

She did feel bad for throwing this on his plate. The suspicion had been dancing around in her dead for a few days, but Tony's comment earlier on the patio scared her even more. She figured better now than when things picked up. For now, she wanted him to speak next.

Eventually, he did.

" So, this happened because" instead of saying the actual words describing what they had done, he made hang gestures. She nodded, wanting to be as patient as possible as he navigated his way through this. He was having enough trouble adjusting to new things, this wasn't going to be any different.

Natasha decided that maybe now was the time to intervene, " it's nothing I can verify without a test, or a doctor, neither of which I have right now. So, I'm just going off the telltale signs from right now."

His eyes made a quick dart from side to side, " um, what would those be?"

" My period is non-existent, I'm throwing up, my boobs hurt. And I'm bloated, that could be all the pancakes from this week, so that one is on the maybe list."

" Right, I'm sorry."

" You don't have to be sorry" she found it adorable that he apologized, " I was there, too."

Steve hid his face in his hands, " I don't know enough information to keep asking questions."

Natasha nodded her head, " yeah, the answers don't make anything less scary, anyways."

The hint of fear in her voice prompted up to quickly look up and pull himself out of his own trance, " it's scary? You're scared?" He was concerned if that is how he was suppose to be feeling.

" It's a little scary, yeah. I mean, you've been speaking in tongues for the last ten minutes."

But, she wasn't ever scared. " I guess all that protection you made sure we used didn't do much good?"

She shrugged, " my guess is the serum made all parts of you stronger than the average man" and that caused him to make a face that made her laugh, " I'm sorry, that's just an assumption. you should be proud." He began to squirm, this was a lot for someone form the forties, " we have options, just so you know, if I am even pregnant."

He looked up, eyes as wide as his own shield, " options? There's options?"

Natasha knew she was embarking on highly uncharted territory for him, and didn't want to make things any more uncomfortable. She cleared her throat, " we don't have to have a baby."

" So, we're discussing not having a baby we don't know we're having yet?"

She crawled over to him, stopping by his side and clutching his arm. Her head rested near his shoulder, her hand reaching around to rib the head she had so greatly confused. " I'm sorry" she whispered, " I don't want things to change."

" But, things have already changed."

" I know" and she felt guilty being afraid of change, when thats all he was ever exposed to since coming out of the ice, " but this is so much more. We would have a baby, it's dangerous in our line of work."

Steve's arm snaked around her waist, " maybe we're in the wrong line of work."

" Maybe this isn't meant to be" she whispered, ignoring that he had used her line from their drive to New Jersey.

He lightly kissed the top of her head, and stayed there, eyes closing. She could feel his pulse racing, but he didn't say much else. He knew he could not force her to want something, especially something they didn't yet have.

" I don't want anything to change us" she nuzzled closer to his arm, " I know everything is so hectic right now, but having you...it almost numbs me."

Steve pulled her legs across his lap, holding her closer, " nothing has to change us, Nat."

" Steve, I told you before that we don't..."

Before she could continue, there was a loud roar of what sounded like an engine over head- loud enough to startle them and interrupt their conversation. The ceiling suddenly caved in as massive object came crashing through, hard enough that it went right through the floor below them. Natasha wasn't even halfway through an initial scream as Steve tossed her form his lap and across the room.

" Nat! Run!" Steve yelled.

She turned to make sure he was behind her, but the flow from an explosion through the new broken floor, nearly blinded her. The floor boards beneath her was beginning to give way, and she screamed his name, but it was too loud to hear him. A similar crash came from the hallway, like fireworks. As smoke began to fill the air, she crawled towards the door.

Another explosion came from the farther end of the house, forcing her to the ground. She peeked up long enough to see Tony, who had just appeared and was standing over her.

" Time to go" he said, calm as ever.

He grabbed her hand, yanking her to her feet, but making sure they were both crouched over. The house was burning and crumbling around them.

" Wait, we have to go back for Steve!" Natasha screamed, trying to wiggle her way out of Tony's grip.

But, he wasn't going to allow it. " Steve's a big boy, he'll get out."

A roof beam came tumbling down in the living room, the room that was next to the the landing of the staircase. It was also the room that was under the master bedroom, where Steve and Natasha were.

The adrenaline was not enough for Natasha's instincts to kick in, and Tony was practically dragging her out the back door. Even he would check behind them for the third member, maybe he was trying to catch up with them, but he wasn't there.

" He's fine, he's fine, Natasha. We have to keep moving!"

He wanted to assure her, but at the same time, knew he may have been lying just the same. There were still jet engines echoing above them. With hours to go until dawn, it was impossible to see where the attacks were coming from, but they still sounded dangerously close by.

The fresh, cold air hit them with such contrast form the blazing heat. Tony wouldn't stop, he continued pulling her as they raced away form the house, running along the beach as the sand kept trying to knock them to the ground. When the sand slipped under Tony's feet, Natasha slipped out of her grip and immediately made a dash towards the house.

Tony reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt. As he pulled her towards him, another blast came from the house, causing Natasha to emit a scream just as loud.

" Steve!" she cried, almost collapsing in tears, but Tony had a strong hold on her.

" Natasha, we have to keep going!" a jet flew overhead, " we can't stay here!"

" We have to go back for him! He would go back if it was one of us! Why won't you listen to me?!"

Tony grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to be face to face with him, close enough that she saw the light from the fire flickering off his eyes. " There's nothing we can do right now, and we're in danger just standing here. I'm not leaving you here, so we have to go, right now." He felt awful ordering her to leave someone behind as her body shook with strong sobbing.

Natasha looked back one more time before following Tony, this time being able to do so without being forced. He led her to the wall of rocks that had divided the beach, hardly visible from the house. Tony made sure that she was able to climb over one side and jump down the other, back into the sand. The fire blazed so bright, that it allowed them to see rather well, even in the night. Natasha stopped when seeing a speed boat, anchored not far from the shore.

" Is this how you got here?" she asked, running her hand to remove a few stray tears, " this is the opposite of subtle."

Tony was already wading into the water, " are you sure this is the conversation you want to have right now?"

He had a point there. The gesture itself had Tony Stark all over it, surprisingly enough, the boat didn't.

She made her way into the cold ocean water as he boarded and proceeded to raise the anchor. She climbed aboard, her wet skin freezing in the night air. Tony stepped off the bow of the boat, fishing the keys out of his pocket. He watched as she huddled herself on the floor, holding her legs closer to her body, arms wrapping around herself. She kept watching over her shoulder, and crying.

" Promise me something, Tony" Steve had said to him less than an hour ago during their conversation in the kitchen, " if anything happens, get her to safety. No matter what happens to me."


	4. Chapter Four

**I actually had more to this chapter ready to go, but then remembered I'm a sucker for cliffhangers. For those who have read and reviewed, thank you! For those who don't like the story, there's thousands more you can enjoy!**

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Tony Stark's speed boat tore through the dark ocean water, and it only took seconds for the house to be out of sight. An hour or so later, they remained surrounded by darkness. Tony had finally turned on a small light over the dashboard in the pilots chair, enough to see one another, but not enough to be seen from the distance.

Not longer after they had departed, Natasha came to sit in the neighboring chair to his left, and sat perfectly still while wrapped in an emergency blanket that was on board. Both were covered in ash, possibly some minor injuries, but the fresh air could only do so much for them.

" Natasha, listen, I..."

But she wasn't going to let him finish.

" Like you said, we did what we had to do." Her reserved and flat tone was only concerning to him.

Her deep trance seemed to dwindle away when the boat began to slow down, her head poking up to look around, see where they were landing. It was still talk, she never thought to wonder how Tony even knew where they were going, but it seemed to be under control.

Off to the right of the boat were two lines of tiny lights, like they were outlining a small runway. As the boat continued its decrease in speed, she realized it was a dock. The shoreline was slowly approaching, but it felt longer as the boat bobbed up and down in its own wake. There were dim lights in distant windows.

" Do you collect beach houses or something?" Natasha muttered.

Tony shut off the engine, allowing the boat to drift its way next to the dock. At the right moment, he jumped off the side and onto the wooden landing, grabbing onto the rails and alining the vessel to bring it to a complete stop. Natasha stood up, noticing a figure walking towards them from the house that stood only yards away. She tried to signal for Tony, as there had been enough surprises for one night, and she didn't want another episode.

However, there was nothing scary about Bruce Banner, not right now at least. He came into a clear view from the lighting on the dock, walking right by Tony as he secured the boat. He had his classic appearance of concern and confusion, but mostly concern.

" What happened?" he asked, more directed at Tony , who did not answer. He looked up at her, " Natasha!" and his face lit up, " what are you doing here?" Bruce extended his arms to help lift her off the boat and onto the dock, " it's so good to see you!"

She accepted the warm hug from him. It was assuring to see a familiar face, especially that of one that was not trying to kill her.

" What happened?" he asked again, ' Tony, where did you even go? I thought you said Natasha was with Steve."

Tony groaned, finishing his knot on the last line, " you know that headache you get when someone demands so much of you when you first wake up? I'm getting one one of those headaches."

" It's four in the morning."

" Let's go inside, I'll draw you a diagram."

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The house was much different than the previous house, the former one, that is. It was bigger, at least three floors form what she could tell on the outside. There was more of a homey feel to it, which was made evident by the obvious impression that two men had been staying there.

Natasha sat on an oversized arm chair in the very open layout. On the boat, she remained cold, just as she was trained to do no matter the situation. Bruce was fidgeting in the kitchen, making tea, and Tony was losing the battle to open a first aid kid he had located. She watched them both closely, waiting for one of them to determine what came next.

" What was that?" she spoke softly, " what the hell just happened?"

Bruce looked over his shoulder, somewhat excited that he wasn't the only one with unanswered questions. Tony dropped the kit on the floor, sitting down on the coffee table in front of her chair, " okay, so, these reports would go unconfirmed. However, I think they found our hiding spot. Well, that hiding spot, the former hiding spot if you will."

" You're a brilliant human being, Tony, you really are."

Bruce removed the kettle from the stove and joined them, " who did?"

" SHIELD? Hydra? I'm not sure there's a difference anymore" Tony looked over at an anxious Bruce, " the house where they were staying was taken out like a bad game of Jenga" he then looked back at Natasha, " and Steve is...missing."

The scientist plopped himself down on the couch, stunned by the explanation of why they were both dirty and covered in burn marks. There were still more questions, but he was a walking example on how an overwhelming environment could be a bad thing.

" How did they find us?" Natasha asked, assuming that Tony would be the one to have all the answers.

Heck, he would have thought the same about himself, " we don't even know who ' they' are yet, we don't know who we're hiding from, Nat. We mind as well assume everyone."

" It's so much easier when you're the one looking for the bad guy" said Bruce.

Natasha kept her stare on Tony. She had never seen him serious, not entirely or for this long. Not when New York was being torn apart by aliens, not when he was dead for about ten minutes. But now, she couldn't get a wise crack out of him if she sucker punched him. And, she could see the barrier in his eyes, not wanting to show vulnerability, even when he would have a good excuse to do so.

" You know what I don't get" Natasha said after a prolonged moment of only staring, " why were Steve and I comfortably staying in that house, with no disruptions. Then, we find out its your house, and you show up, and all hell breaks loose. Now, back on the run and Steve is dead."

Tony shrugged, " point taken." He then went one to convince a now distraught Bruce otherwise.

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Bruce had intervened, eventually, before anyone was too heated or Tony was slapped in the face. He had kindly led Natasha to a spare bedroom, suggesting that she shower and attempt some rest. And he would agree, that it would be easier for him to say than her to do.

The shirt she wore smelled like Steve, the person she had been sleeping next to only hours ago. Perhaps it was the shock combined with exhaustion, but she could still feel his skin on hers. Showering would only remove that, so she decided against it. She was also not fond of laying on an empty bed, but she knew that Bruce meant well.

He always seemed to mean well. When there was a soft knock at the door, she assumed it was Bruce, but only found Tony on the other side of it. It was very obvious that he had showered, changed, and was in the mood to be apologetic.

" I come in peace" he said, holding a glass of water in one hand, and a small paper cut in the other.

Natasha peeked over the rim, seeing two large, white pills resting at the bottom. " I'm not taking that" she declared.

He pushed his way into the room, " yes, yes you can. I get it, things suck right now, uncertainty is a bitch and all. But, you not getting some rest is onlg going to make it such more."

" It's not that" she sat on the edge of the bed, running her hands over her face, " I don't want to take something that might hurt a baby."

The words were muffled by her hands, and she had trailed off towards the word ' baby', but Tony heard enough of what was just said. He dropped the cup, and the pills went skipping across the floor. " So, there is a baby!" her eyes widened, " I knew it!"

Natasha chose not to question where any of his suspicion had come from, and she only wanted to tell him so that she was no longer alone with it. " I don't know for sure, it's just an...educated guess. Steve and I were just discussing it when..well, you were there."

" If you want, and only if you want, we can find out for sure."

" I thought I'd wait eight months and see where that goes."

Tony dropped the water glass, which shattered, only so he could clasp his hands together in excitement, " follow me!"

Follow she did, past Bruce cleaning up in the kitchen, but he didn't seem to notice them walk past anyways. There was a dark hallway off the living room that he led her to. Once the light was on, blackness outside and the overhead light reflected off large windows that stood where walls would be in a non-Tony Stark house. Maybe the empty office overlooked the ocean, she couldn't tell. The walls that did exist were painted white, decorate with leather furniture and other modern fixtures.

" Have a seat" he said.

Natasha did as told, " you keep pregnancy tests on site, Stark?"

He laughed, " something a little more accurate than that, and no one has to pee on anything. I think." Tony retrieved something form the desk in the corner and joined her on the couch, " put this on."

The object he had brought with him was some kind of metal glove, one that might of been ripped off an Iron Man suit. He slid it over her hand, and she allowed it.

" What does this do?"

Tony adjusted the fitting, pressing a button on the side which caused the device to illuminate. " I put this together one of the times I thought I was dying, it helps with diagnosis. At the very least, it ruled out the big concerns."

She watched closely as he continued his programming, " and you have an option in there for pregnancy?"

" Have a little faith in me" he said, " it can check for hormone levels. You're going to feel a tiny prick in your middle finger." He watched her as she watched the device, not even a flinch when the needle broke through her skin. " So, you told Steve about this?"

Natasha nodded, " yeah, I mean, it only seemed fair. He's had so much hidden from him over the years, and I wanted to get a feel on what he thought. The needle, it stopped."

" It'll take a few minutes to analyze the blood sample" he paused for a moment, in case she wanted to continue, but she didn't. " What did Steve think?"

She let out a chuckle, " I don't think he knew what to think. He made the same face he made when I tried to explain Netflix to him."

" That was a long week when you did that."

" It was."

The glove made a beeping sound, Tony flipped her arm over the read the other side. " Congrats, mama."

Natasha's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

" I'm serious, congratulations."

She wiggled her fingers when the glove was removed, " well, this is weird. And everything is the same as it was twenty minutes ago."

" Yeah, I totally get it" Tony said, she shot him a glare, " not the whole being pregnant thing, but, life changing events. And, I'm trying to be supportive, it's a learning process."

" I appreciate that."

Tony leaned back, " I would not mess with that kid on the playground, you'll never have to worry about that. One parenting problem out of the way."

Natasha snorted, almost wanting to cry and the progressing conversation, " I guess that depends if this involves pre-serum or post-serum genes."

" Oh, that's a good point! I never thought of that! I wonder how that works." He was waiting for her to snap, to fall apart. Not that he wanted that, but he wanted to be close by in case his help was needed. " If you wanted the classic dad for your kids, you wouldn't have to look further than Steve" he spoke to pull her out of her own thoughts, " the whole catch playing in the front yard, kid riding on his shoulder to the ice cream store, he will have that down with expert fashion. Not to mention, if its a little girl, no boy is going to want to meet the parents, like, ever."

She smiled, sweetly. Not a look that he would ever expect to see from her, at least not when being directed at him. " That means a lot, but it would mean a lot more if he wasn't dead."

Tony rapidly rustled his own hair, " Nat, I promise you, I've been faux dead myself a few times. Steve actually has me beaten on that by about, uhh, seventy years. Playing dead can take the heat off."

" This wasn't something he planned."

" It kinda was, though. Him and I had a chat before the attack, and..."

There attentions were called back into the living room, as they heard Bruce begin to yell. As they rushed back to where he was, with the conversation interrupted, flashes of lightning bombarded the windows as they hurried by. The two wandered back into the kitchen to find Bruce, leaning over the sink, head out the open window and into the approaching storm.

" GET OUT OF THE DAMN TREE AND INSIDE BEFORE YOU GET ELECTROCUTED AND DIE. WE ARE NOT GOING THROUGH THIS AGAIN!"

Tony threw his arms up in the air, " Brucey, my homeowners insurance does not cover acts of Hulk, will you PLEASE calm down!"

Bruce came back inside, muttering to himself. He quickly pulled the window closed as the downpour began. Natasha only had a moment to wonder who it was Bruce was yelling at before the front door opened.


	5. Chapter Five

** Thank you all again for reading and reviewing! And to jdho2, nice call on suspecting Thor, because I didn't even think of that!**

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" Clint!" Natasha gasped as he walked in the front door, bow clutched tightly in his hand.

" Legalos!" Tony's greeting was much louder, " when did you get here?"

" The other night" Bruce answered, cleaning off his eye glasses on flap of his shirt, " right after you left, actually."

Tony bounced over to the newest arrival, wrapping his around around Clint's waist. " What were you doing in a tree?!" Tony asked, lifting the other man well off the floor, which was right when he noticed that Natasha was standing not far behind.

" He sees better from a distance" Natasha answered.

" Nat!" Clint rushed over the moment Tony had him back on his feet. He was quick to pull her into a hug, arms wrapped tightly around the middle of her back, the kind of embrace that only a good friend could provide. " I'm so glad you're okay."

She allowed the hug to hold longer than usual, wanting to feel the security, despite how false it may be for the time being. The embrace also made her realize that the roles could have- and likely were- reversed for Clint, and that she was thought to be dead in his mind, if only for a brief period. No communication, no updates, nothing. Only the assumption that the other one may have been killed.

" Is Steve here?" Clint asked when finally separating from her. When he saw such a somber look across her face, he regretted that one. " What happened?"

" We got attacked, at the house" Natasha said, " and...separated, from Steve. The whole house burned down. He might be gone."

Clint looked over at Bruce, and then at Tony, before gazing at Natasha, who had only moved a small distance away from him, and looked to be accepting the words she had just said, or was at least trying to. " Well, he's been gone before, and has come back. Right?"

Another crash of thunder hit, shaking the foundation, and Natasha. Clint grabbed her arms out of instinct.

" POINT BREAK!" Tony screamed, nearly startling Natasha again.

" Really?" Bruce asked, wanting to prepare for more guests if it was going to be necessary.

Tony shrugged, " it could be, it's like a family reunion here." He addressed Clint, " so, while we're catching up. Where did you come form?"

" Belgium" Clint answered, " I was there, on a mission, when everything broke in DC, and then was ordered to stay there. Guess Fury thought you can't be found if you're not moving."

Natasha backed out of his grip on her, " yeah, except now, we're all on the move, and someones obviously tracking at least one of us, probably still is."

Bruce replaced his glasses, brushing past Tony, who was gazing at the ceiling and waiting for another visitor. " How long was Tony at the other house before the attack?" Tony looked offended that he was not the one being asked, and also the one being accused. But, Bruce held up his hand to stop him before he started, " how long?" he asked again.

" Five, six hours" she answered.

Tony was not about to let his objection slide, " I didn't even have the suit on me, and that boat was stripped of anything other than the engine."

" There's no way you could have been tracked?" Clint asking, wanting verification.

" None that I can think of, and I use to be followed around. A lot."

Bruce sat himself on the couch, chin resting on his hands, mind deep in thought. The others found their own seats along the room, watching him. All attention would be directed to whomever could lead them towards what they were to do next.

" Nat, Steve's friend, Bucky?" she nodded, " Fury said that he had the same advancements that Steve has? Possibly a serum, as well?"

She was a little caught off guard by the shift in topic. There must have been a debriefing session she so conveniently missed, " nothing that we were able to confirm. That was Steve's guess. He said that Hydra was doing experiments on him when he was captured during the war, and he figured that was how Bucky survived and was able to...do what he does."

" And he's missing, too?"

" Um, yeah. He vanished, after everything in DC. Steve was going to go look for him, but, then this happened."

Tony chuckled, " the Tin Man there should join our little club."

Bruce weaved his fingers together, " so, Hydra replicates Steve, that replica disappears, rightfully so. Maybe they just wanted to swoop in and take Steve, since that's what they originally wanted in the first place."

Natasha became terrified at how accurate everything had sounded.

" Steve would never become a Guinea pig for Hydra" Clint was quick to jump to a defense, " any one of us would do it before he would."

" You think Bucky went willingly?" Bruce rhetorically asked.

Natasha hunched over, head tingling and ears ringing, " I'm going to be sick" she announced.

" I'm sorry, Natasha!" Bruce felt as though he had gone too far, " I'm just trying to figure out a theory."

Her stomach clenched tighter, " no, I mean I'm really going to be sick."

Clint made a quick dash to grab her one arm, helping her make a mad rush to the bathroom where Tony had directed them to. She managed to lean over the toilet seconds before she began heaving. Her gagging could be heard from the living room, where Bruce and Tony had patiently remained.

" They must have gotten close, those two" Bruce said.

Tony nodded, " yeah, she's going to be a hot mess until we find him, even if he is dead."

Bruce flashed him a ballsy stare, " I thought we weren't the kind of team that left someone behind."

Tony nodded again, " we aren't, but, it was the Captains orders."

" He told you to leave him behind in a burning house?"

" Not specifically, no. We were having a late now pow-wow, and he made me promise to get her out of there if anything happened, no matter what. House blowing up falls under the category of no matter what."

Bruce made a quick check to assure Natasha was nowhere near returning, and he could still hear her coughing in the bathroom. " Do you think he knew something was going to happen?"

Tony shrugged, " you've met the guy, he's always prepared for something to happen. And he's always willing to lay himself on the line for others to be safe. He just really, really wanted to make sure that she would be okay."

" We're missing a few pieces here."

" Yup" Tony stood up and headed for the side door off the living room that led to the garage, " try to get her to go to bed, if you can."

" Where are you going?"

" To try and fill in some of the pieces."

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Natasha clutched to the porcelain bowl, head resting on the rim. Her hand had found the handle to flush, and she was hoping that meant the end of this vomiting episode. Clint was sitting behind her, off duty from the the holding of her hair. He was now rubbing her back, ready to go in case she became sick again.

" Are you injured?" he asked, noticing scrapes and burn marks on her exposed back, " I mean, seriously injured."

" No" she mumbled into her hand thad her hand was resting on, " Tony had me out of the house way too fast for me to have been hurt. I barely had time."

Clint reached about him to snatch a wash cloth off the towel rack above his head, " well, that's good."

She accepted the cloth from him, wiping her mouth, " I kept trying to go back for Steve. He wouldn't let me."

" Well, a house that's on fire isn't the best place to be running back into, I can see Tony's argument there

" I've seen worse."

He moved to a crouching position, " I know you have" and then moved to a standing position, " want to try and get some sleep?"

She was losing a battle with exhaustion, not even finding enough energy to lift her head from the toilet rim.

" Last time I went to sleep, this happened."

He allowed her to take her time to stand, hands close by in case assistance was needed. One arm circled around her back when she had finally stood on her own.

" Then you sleep and I'll stay on guard. Just like when you had food poisoning, and we were camping in Siberia."

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Bruce was still in the living room, having retrieved a folder from his canvas bag. It was a file, and old one that was on Steve Rogers, one that he had long before the captain was ever thawed out. He was flipping through the pages, refreshing himself on some forgotten details. Tony emerged from the garage. To be more specific, Tony inside the Iron Man suit emerged from the garage.

" New jammies?" Bruce asked.

" I'm going back" Tony announced, letting the chance of a quirky response pass on. His sounded more serious, likely from the robotic tone the suit provided for him.

" You sure that's a good idea?"

The mask flipped up, revealing Tony's face, " whether or not Steve's body is there could give us an idea on what to do next. Right?"

Bruce shrugged, " if that's something you're willing to find yourself, then, yes."

Tony made his way towards the front door, " well, if I find him, then we're not looking at him anymore. Morbid, but true."

" Fine. But be careful this time, the suit could be tracked."

The mask flipped over, " then at least I'm leading them away from here. Lock the door behind me."

" Yeah, that'll do it."

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Natasha had fallen into such a deep sleep, that she had remained in the position in which she had fallen onto the bed, and was snoring at a volume that would have disturbed Thor, who never did show up that night. Clint was going to push for a shower beforehand, but, he didn't have time to put blanket on her, much less anything else.

Clint sat up in the bed, right next to her, watching over as promised. He thought he had heard the sounds of the Iron Man suit launching, but didn't go investigating. Tony was perfectly capable of whatever it was he needed to do, and he could still hear Bruce downstairs. He carefully watched Natasha, who was usually a difficult sleeper, resting like she was desperate for it.

Eventually, she had rolled onto her side, the snoring subsiding just a bit. Clint took notice of her hand, which moved form her hip to rest across her stomach. A move more likely to be done by someone who was awake, especially when that hand began a light rubbing motion.

There was a noise outside, one that Clint was quick to investigate out the open window, keeping his bow tight in hand. He slowly peered out the open window, and fortunately, there was nothing to be found. His hand reached out into the night, wanting to pull the window closed, but Natasha stopped him.

" It's so freaking hot in here, do not close that window" she groaned.

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" I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not able to determine what kind of explosives were used" Jarvis said, " there doesn't seem to be any data from what I can trace."

Tony walked around the property, surveying the remains of what was one of his home only hours ago. The fires had subsided just in time for daylight to peek over the horizon, but the burning smell had remained strong, even when being inside the suit. There was no one else for miles, no one else would have known this happened, so no attention was paid to it.

" Well, they can think they're hiding for a little longer then" Tony said, watching from inside the helmet as Jarvis continued to scan the perimeter, " keep looking."

Parts of the structure from the house had remained, the rest in various piles of rubble in the sand. Everything had been blackened, there was hardly anything he could recognize. There were parts of broken wood that laid nearby, possibly hiding any clues or anything that looked familiar. Anything Tony lifted up in search was placed down extra carefully, in case.

" Give me something, Jarvis" he said, as the computer's scanning continued.

" Still searching, sir."

Tony had difficulty regulating his anxiety after his brush with death in New York, only to be made worse by some of the events that followed. It was getting better, but, he could feel his throat beginning to tighten at the idea that the next piece of rubble would reveal something he didn't want to find, but had to look for. So far, nothing had turned up.

" Is it possible, Jarvis, that a body could have...well, is there a chance there is no _body_ , because of the fire?" Tony asked, nearly choking on the words, " I just want to have an idea on what we're looking for here."

" I don't believe there is anything worth looking for here, sir. My analysis shows that Captain Rogers's body is not here."


	6. Chapter Six

**Something startled Natasha out of her deep slumber, and she immediately rolled over in the bed that she had nearly blacked out on. Her turn was stopped part way because of a body that was laying next to her, nearly startling her again. **

** " Steve" she mumbled. **

**Her eyes remained closed, still too tired to be opened just yet. Her hands felt around, finding no detail to confirm her suspicion of who was in bed next to her. She took a deep breath, trying to familiarize herself with a nearby scent. **

** " Nat, it's me" Clint said, debunking any hopes that she had. **

**Natasha's eyes finally opened, her face inches form Clint's hip, blinking a few times to confirm her surroundings. She pushed herself onto her back, looking up at him, as he was already looking down at her. **

** " Sorry."**

** " Bad dream?" he asked. **

**She pushed herself up, now sitting more alined with him on the bed, but still slightly slouched downwards. " No" she lied, " what time is it?"**

**Clint looked down at his watch, " uh, it's a little after none."**

**Her eyes widened as she continued rubbing them awake, " damn. Did I miss anything?"**

** " Hmm, Tony left, but then he came back. He's downstairs with Bruce, but I don't know what's going on with them."**

**She glanced up at him, for the brief moment that she was going to let any kind of feelings shine through for the time being, " you haven't left the room since I've been asleep?"**

** " I promised you that I wouldn't." **

**Natasha let her head tip to the side and land on his upper arm, a symbol of her appreciation. He let them sit in a moment of peace, before he became daring enough to ask what he knew would surely turn this mood right around. **

** " Is there something going on between you and Steve?"**

**She gently nibbled on the inside of her cheek before answering, " yes." Tony knew, withholding this had a short lifespan, surprisingly enough, there had not been a public service announcement. " But, that's not the only reason I don't want him to be dead."**

** " I know it's not" she threw back the covers and plopped herself out of bed, " I was just wondering."**

**Natasha stepped into the bathroom, turning on the faucet to rinse her hands underneath. " Why does it even matter?" she asked. **

**Clint kept watching, only able to see the back of her legs while she rinsed off, " it doesn't, I was just curious. You two were just spending a lot of time together." **

**Her head poked out the door, " are you kidding me?! Really? because of us trying to save millions of people from Hydra picking them off? Maybe we wouldn't have been alone so much if we had some help!"**

**At that moment, Clint figured that the teasing had gone too far- and sooner than expected. " Relax" he said, in a much calmer voice, " I just wanted to know. And don't blame me for not helping, I was ordered to stay where I was once Fury got suspicious about SHIELD being dirty. I think he said something about you and Steve being bombed in New Jersey?" Natasha nodded, " that seems to be a common encounter for you two." **

**She shrugged, leaning against the doorframe, " he saved my life."**

** " Yeah, he's good at that."**

** " You wouldn't understand" she muttered, heading back into the bathroom. **

**But, Clint was not about to let her get the last word, as she so commonly did. He flipped over to the side of the bed that she had been sleeping on, and had his arm in the door way, before she was able to slam it on him. **

** " What do you mean I wouldn't understand!? The closest anyone has ever been to understanding you has been me, Natasha!" **

**He did feel bad getting crass with her, especially when she seemed to cower herself between himself and the shower on the other end of the bathroom. **

** " Not anymore" she whispered. **

**Clint was taken aback by her response. He wouldn't even need a full hand to count the number of time Natasha actually seemed scared. She could fake it, and thats not to say that sheshas never been scared, but, few times that fear could be detected n her. She tried to keep eye contact, but would stare off at the towel rack instead. **

** " What's going on, Nat?" he had come down several notches. He knew what happened, as a whole, but there was no briefing that would go into details. Not like this. **

**She still wouldn't look at him, " it's a lot. I know we're trained to handle a lot, but it would be nice to come up for air once in awhile" he stayed silent, encouraging her to continue. " I was shot, again. Blown up, twice, and now Steve is missing again. It's a lot, even for me, and it's not over" her voice would trail off on certain words. **

**Clint leaned against the wink, " what do you mean Steve went missing again? He went missing before?"**

** " Yeah, after the helicarriers came down, there were a few days of him laying unconscious in a riverbank that we didn't know about." **

** " Fury didn't mention that."**

**Natasha wrapped her arms around herself, " maybe bad people would go looking for Captain America if they knew he was missing."**

**Clint yanked her into another hug, but she kept her arms around herself. " Then we can be the good guys who go and find him first." **

** 0000000000**

**Clint left her to shower in peace. There had been a lot of commotion in the past few days, being left alone in silence gave everything its chance to catch up inside her head. She stood under the stream of hot water, it poured over her shoulders, pasting the ends of her hair to her skin. There was so much dirt on her from the previous events, that dark water flooded at her feet before it scurried down the drain. **

**Her head dropped forward, allowing more of her hair to dampen, but she did not move from where she originally stood. Soon enough, her eyes closed, just as she felt the sensation of skin brushing against her back. A smile began to spread across her mouth, and her arms lifted just enough for Steve's to wrap around her hips. **

** " I missed you" she cooed, hardly audible over the rush of water. **

**Steve's chin rested on her shoulder, and she could feel the slightest tingle from where he had not been able to shave any time recent. " I told you, I would never leave you alone" he whispered. **

**Natasha watched as his hands spread across her flat stomach, they were large enough to cover the entire area . She held on to his forearms, wanting his hands to stay right where they were. **

** " You can't leave either of us now" she said, " I hope you're ready for that."**

**He lightly kissed the spot behind her left ear, " more than ready."**

**She allowed herself to lean back into his body, but her balance gave way as there was nothing, and no one, behind her. The water began to run cold, forcing her out of the fantasy that she had let herself fall into. Her eye opened, blinking, behaving as though she had just woken up. She was now freezing, and alone in the bathroom. **

** 0000000000**

**Natasha gave herself a brief moment of weakness to cry over the shower encounter with Steve that never happened. There was a plush, brown bathrobe hanging behind the door that she put on, and it practically swallowed her. There wasn't any change of clothing that she had, and the bedroom was empty, so she made her way downstairs, wiping the last of the stray tears from her cold cheeks. **

** " I don't have anything to change in to" she announced while in the stairs, to whomever was going to hear her. **

** " I think some of Pepper's clothes are around here, hang on" Tony yelled back, and then could be heard stomping across the lower floor. **

**She rounded the corner for the last few steps, and came close to face planting when nearly landing in the kitchen. Bruce and Clint sat at the table, which Tony had just departed from. Smack dab in the middle of the table, surrounded by juice glasses and toast plates, was Steve's shield. **

** " Where did that come from?" she gasped, believing that her hallucination in the shower had some validation for a quick moment, " what happened? Is Steve here?"**

**Bruce shook his head, and felt guilty that he had to do so, " Tony went back to the other house last night and found it." **

**Tony returned to the kitchen, holding a pile of clothing, " but, I didn't find him" and he seemed to be rather proud of that. **

**Her skin prickled under the fluffy robe, " he wasn't there? Like he just packed up and left?"**

**Tony sat down in his empty chair and shrugged, " maybe."**

**Bruce slapped his arm, " we just know that he's not there, that's all we know." **

**Natasha stepped onto the kitchen floor, but did not move much further than that. " I don't understand, how can you be sure? How do you know that he didn't..I mean, there was a fire, he could have..."**

** " Jarvis scanned the whole wreckage, no trace of him. In any form." **

**Clint kicked out the empty chair that was next to him at the table, sensing that Natasha needed to sit down, and she did. Tony tossed her the collection of Pepper's clothing that he had found, which she held in her lap. **

** " We're going back to New York" Clint muttered, pulling the crust off his toast like this was every morning conversation. **

** " We have not decided that! Don't be making executive decisions, Katniss!" Tony snapped, getting Clint to make a face at him. **

**Bruce let out a frustrated grunt, " Natasha, would you like some breakfast?" **

**She shook her head, wet hair hitting her cheek, " no, thank you. My stomach still hasn't settled from last night." **

** " Your eyes are all red" Clint commented. **

** " I accidentally got soap in my eye when I was in the shower, thanks for noticing. Why are we going to New York?"**

**Tony kicked Clint's shin under the table, " we were only discussing it. It's just an idea, since it's probably not the best idea to stay here. That's something we can all agree on." **

**Natasha did a quick scan of the three men sitting at the table before she spoke again, as difficult as it was to keep her eyes off the centerpiece. " Why did we go in to hiding, not to mention stress how important it is, and then venture off to New York. Not just New York, but to a building that mind as well be a giant arrow with a sign that says ' here's where some of the Avengers are hiding!'" Clint snickered at her reference to Stark Tower. Her assumption that it would be their destination was correct. **

** " Okay, yes, it does seem like a bad move, however..."**

**But, Tony was easily interrupted by Natasha, " how hard could a good hideout really be? Bruce, look how out of sign you were, and I found you in Calcutta or wherever that was." **

** " That's the thing, Natasha" Bruce began, " you found me. In fact, you told me that night that SHIELD had been watching me the entire time, that they knew where I was. We have no reason to believe that anywhere is entirely secluded, at least for a long period of time. At this point, I'm not sure we have much to lose." **

**Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, stealing a quick look at where the bathrobe belt was tied over her stomach. There was plenty left to lose. " So, we march into the city, guns blazing?"**

** " Something like that" Clint muttered. **

** " We're going to find Steve" Bruce said, wanting to speak over the others and finally get to the punch line. It was one of those mawkish moments where the (partial) team of superheroes formally announced their heroic plan for an upcoming adventures. Only to be confirmed when both Tony and Clint nodded in agreement. **

**She, however, was not entirely sold. **

** " How do we know Steve, or whatever, is in New York? That's a little stereotypical." **

**Tony picked the shield off the table and leaned it against his chair, " okay, let's assume whomever has Steve- Hydra, SHIELD, it seems like they're probably the same- they're going to want something more than just Captain America. And they know that Captain America is associated with the rest of us, so we're going to offer just that. I think everyone at this table that I, of all people, know how to draw attention to myself. Banner can, as well."**

** " Mines not usually as intentionally, but, I think we're getting the point across." **

** " Did you run this by Fury?" Natasha asked. **

**Tony snorted, " of course I did not run this by Fury. He won't return my calls, so, he's not going to have a dog in this fight."**

**Clint watched her begin to chew on her bottom lip, " she thinks this is a bad idea."**

** " Nat, he would do the same thing for us" Bruce said, " in fact, he would have left by now. There wouldn't even be a discussion."**

**Natasha knew he was right. In fact, Steve would be furious tif someone else was in danger, and the rest of them were still debating about a rescue mission at the breakfast table. There would probably be lecture involved. **

**She cleared her throat, " when do we leave?"**

** 0000000000**

**Steve's jaw opened as much as the pain was going to allow. He gasped for air, like he had never taken a breath before, but he could only choke. His chest rose off the flat surface he was laying on, something had been wrapped over his chest, stopping him before he could go any further. There was an attempt to move a hand and investigate, but, they were bound as well. **

**His eyes opened to darkness, a piece of rubber had been tied over his eyes, that much he could detect with his eyelashes. Any available senses were hopeless, he could not determine any hints as to where he was. There was a nagging fuzzy sensation bouncing around the inside of his head. Had he done been laying down (on some sort of table, from what he could tell), he would have no strength, no control over his own body. **

**His brain could not remember what exactly had happened, hardly any solid thought could be formed. Not even enough to realize that he had been filled with an unknown drug cocktail. **

**There was a faint sound, he could not tell how close or how far by the light ringing in his ears. It was high heels, clicking on a cement floor, walking closer and closer with each step.**

** " Nat" he murmured, it was the only name he could muster while he continued to try and catch his breath. **

**The footsteps arrived, eventually stopping. He felt a soft hand on his cheek, and tried to turn his head towards it. **

** " Poor Captain Rogers" came a females voice, but it was not the woman he was hoping for, " you've had such a rough night." Her voice cooed, but in a threatening manner, far from the comfort he was looking for. **

** " Where is she?" he breathed. **

**The mystery woman laughed, finding his plea appealing. " She had a little more luck than you, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before she's joining you here."**

**The metal constraints that held his body down groaned under the pressure, his forceful attempt he gave to break free of them. He failed. **

** " Leave her alone!" his voice crackled, unable to be any louder than a coarse breath. **

**Her thumb lightly stroked his cheek, " it's not that simple. We may not get what we're looking for just form you."**

**Steve's hand clenched into a fist, that's when he felt the needle that was resting in the vein on the inside of his wrist. **

** " Leave her alone" he repeated, the words falling from his mouth. **

** " That's for us to decide." **

**He felt the pressure of her body leaning over his, fidgeting with the tube that was attached to the needle inside his body. His mouth fell open again, the haze in his body now getting stronger. His chest heaved, and his eyes fell closed once again. **

** " Forget about her" he choked, " kill me instead."**

** 000000000**

**Thank you yet again for all the reads and reviews! I do apologize for another filler chapter, but things will be picking up in the next chapter! I at least wanted to give some sort of glimpse of Steve for anyone who was concerned. **


	7. Chapter Seven

Bruce threw the last duffle bag into the back of the pick up truck, doing a final check to make sure anything that would be needed was on board, not like they had much to begin with. Tony had an old fashioned pick up truck, a 1980's model to be more exact, on the property. It was the only vehicle he had there, so for right now, it was their only source of transportation.

Clint was standing on the other side of the truck, organizing the arrows into his quiver, and appeared to be taking the task very seriously.

" Do you want to put that in the back, before we leave?" Bruce asked.

" What good would it do be sitting back there?"

Bruce rolled his eyes, but Clint didn't see that. They were still waiting on Natasha, who was yet to emerge from the house, having made yet one additional bathroom stop while attempting to leave. Tony was long home, he took off in the suit hours ago, headed to New York. He volunteered himself to go ahead of the others, and find what would hopefully be a safe path. The others were going to drive from Port Coral (it had recently been advised to them that Port Coral was where they were) to the city, with hopes of smooth sailing along the way.

" Should we go check on her?" Bruce asked, leaning against the back of the truck.

Clint opened the passenger door and tossed the arrows onto the floor of the single cab, " no, I don't think you want to see what she's bringing up in there."

Bruce made a face as Natasha finally emerged from the house, dragging herself along the gravel driveway. She had changed into the clothes Tony provided, which consisted of simple black leggings, and a long v-neck shirt. He had also included an oversized hoodie, likely his own, and likely a gesture of his to hide what Bruce or Clint may find suspicious.

Not that she thought either of them would guess anything nearing a pregnancy, not from her stomach at least. She had examined her body earlier in the shower, noticing a fuller appearance in her stomach. Nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, but to her, it was its own little red flag.

The stones crunched under the borrowed sneakers, and she held a pillow in one hand, along with a collection of plastic grocery bags in the other.

" I am so sorry" she muttered, her tone matching the drained face she carried with her.

" No need to be sorry" said Bruce, " I feel bad we're stuffing you in a truck for a long drive. But it's not like we can leave you here."

Natasha stopped next to the truck, seeing that it was only a three passenger cab. She looked at Clint with pouty eyes , as Bruce had already assigned himself to drive the first shift.

" Can I have the window seat?" she asked, " please?"

Clint smirked, " I am so looking forward to letting you have the window seat, you don't even know."

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The drive along the Florida coast was both scenic and quiet, probably a dose of something they all needed. There hadn't been any word from Tony, which they were accepting as good news for the time being. Natasha kept her window down and, fortunately, had not needed any of the emergency bags she brought with her.

The warm, salty air bathed her face and neck, soothing the agony her body was going through at the moment. She held the pillow firmly over her stomach, having the urge to hide what was on the other side. For most of the drive, the two men made small talk, allowing for the most relaxed atmosphere they had since assembling.

She was not sure when exactly she drifted off, but woke up only when her bent knee slipped off the dashboard, and she fell forward. The seatbelt caught her, and she woke up ready to fight, but eased up when remembering where she as. The sun had set, and the truck was parked at a gas station, her eyes squinting in the overhead lights. She was alone in the truck, but looked over her shoulder and saw Clint tending to the gas pump. Everything was okay. She was still rubbing her eyes when Bruce returned, opening the drivers door.

" I'm sorry, I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights" she began, " do you want me to drive? It's probably my turn to drive."

He hopped into the cab, scooting to the middle seat. " Nope, it's Clint's turn."

Natasha yanked at the hoodie, as it had shifted upwards during her slumber, " have you heard from Tony?"

" Not yet, but he likes paying attention to detail, probably just being extra thorough" he revealed two items in his left hand, a citrus soda and a small box of crackers that he had purchased from the convenience store, " these should help your stomach, if you're hungry."

She smiled accepting the items and setting them in her lap, " thank you, very much."

He checked to make sure Clint was still occupied, " you were talking a lot in your sleep, during the drive. Nothing that really made sense, but, if there's something you want to get off your chest, I'm here."

She thanked him again. Before Tony had left, she had almost required a signature in blood, promising that they would keep the news between them until a time that she saw fit. Even she was not sure when that time would be. Mainstream was not ever on her calling card, her and Steve had already proven that, but she would love that he would get to hear the news before it continued making the rounds. She didn't want it to seem real unless it was with him.

Clint returned to the truck, and they continued off into the night.

" What would Hydra want with Steve?" Clint asked from the drivers seat, If they are the ones who took him. Wholesome, American cheese doesn't seem to be their style."

Bruce glanced at Natasha, " my guess would be the serum. It's not something that can be replicated, I can tell you that from experience, so trying to get it from him would be a good try. Whatever they gave to Bucky was close, but not nearly exact. Not with the 1940's technology they would have had."

Natasha cuddled the pillow closer to her body, " even if they did find Bucky, do you think that wouldn't be enough for them?"

" Maybe, not, not if they know Steve is an option, and Hydra is trying to make a come back. And now that SHIELD fell, Steve seems more accessible."

Clint turned down the volume on the talk radio station that they were all ignoring, " how would it even be extracted? I remember reading that they tried getting it form blood samples after they first did it, but that obviously didn't work."

Bruce sighed, " that was then, maybe its that easy now. I don't know, though, it's concerning that they have scientists who know how to do this. Who knows what else they're capable of."

Natasha felt her throat tighten again, her stomach was hurting. " He would need to be alive for them to do this, right? Assuming, that this is what they're doing."

" Yes, he would" Bruce confirmed, " the cells that are infused from the serum, they have to be alive for such a procedure to even work. They wouldn't kill him, it would only be a waste of their time."

" What about after?" Clint asked, assuming Bruce could also confirm that information.

Natasha pulled herself forward, " stop the car" she demanded. And Clint was quick to oblige, slamming to a dead stop on the barren back road. She dove out of the cab, and vomited right there in the dirt on the side of the road. Bruce and Clint watched like it was a professional sporting event.

" Boy, this isn't getting much better" Clint commented in a blunt fashion.

Bruce scooted closer to the edge of the seat, " can I do anything?" It was his urge to ask even though, on the side of an unknown road in the south, that there was little he could really do.

Natasha spit any remaining gross matter out of her mouth. Her chest heaved, her body in a slight panic from being so sick. She turned around, facing the two boys, who were fascinated with watching her.

" Can we please not discuss Steve being dead anymore, please? I get that its a possibility, consider that understood. And I know there's a chance that they're picking him apart like he's some sort of science experiment, or maybe he's already dead" her voice quickened, " but, I can't keep hearing about the details, and what may be happening, or already happened. Its ripping me apart, and I'm terrified of what we're going to find out, if we even find out!" Her rant ended only because of the tears that were stinging under her eyes, she didn't want them to escape.

" You're right" Bruce was the first to speak up, and she was sure that was because Clint wasn't going to say anything first, " you're right, we have to reason to assume the worst, that's why we're going to New York in the first place. I hope that wasn't was making you sick..."

" Your boyfriend is probably fine" Clint yelled from the driver seat, " you two will be canoodling again before you know it."

Both Natasha's and Bruce's jaws seemed to have separated and lowered at the same alarming speed. Bruce continued with the blow of the news, but Natasha immediately changed over to anger.

" Oh, fuck you, Barton!" Natasha screamed, " your overwhelming desire to be an asshole is not always called for!"

" I was trying to lighten the mood, don't be so edgy!"

" That's the last time I tell you anything!"

Bruce held up both hands to silence everyone, " okay, okay, now is not the time for this" but then he smirked, " you and Steve? Really?"

Natasha groaned, " yes, it is. But does it really matter right now?"

" No, it's just not an update I was expecting."

" Does he know you can legally vote in these times?" Clint snapped.

Bruce smacked his arm, " stop that. Nat, please get back in the car, we're going to make sure that Steve is fine."

" He has to be" she said, more to herself.

Bruce's phone, the only one that was allowed to be turned on for the time being, began to ring. It pushed some relief into a tense conversation, considering it could only be one person on the other end of the line.

" Took you long enough, are you okay?" Bruce answered Tony's call, and then began to listen intently. There were a few comments by him- " okay", " are you sure?", " alright then"- but mostly, he just listened. " We'll be there in two hours" the call ended, and the cell phone returned to his pocket.

" Tony's in New York" Bruce announced, the previous conversation being entirely forgotten for the moment, " well, he's been there for awhile. But, he wanted to make sure everything was as safe as can be for us, but he thinks we have a clear shot to New York. For right now."

" For right now" Natasha repeated.

" He arranged for a jet to be at some air field, just inside the state line, should be abandoned. Assuming you two are able to fly it, we can be there by morning."

Natasha barged towards the truck, and Bruce moved towards the middle so her seat was available, " the less we know the better" she got in and slammed the door, " lets go."

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As expected, they arrived at the air field within two hours. There had not been another human sighting for that portion of the drive, nor anywhere near their destination. The only plane there was the one Tony had sent, and seeing it standing there entirely on its own only made the situation that much more eerie. Though it was small enough to be operated by only Clint and Natasha.

" I would not be surprised if a Playboy model was the flight attendant" Clint said as the three of them exited the truck, " not with Tony."

" Tony is a changed man since falling in love" Bruce said, " but, I wouldn't be that shocked either."

" Where are we going to even land this?" Natasha asked as they began to board, luggage in hands, " it's small, but so are the Manhattan streets."

Bruce examined the aircraft from the inside. Natasha was right, it was small, but also simple, nothing that would go out of its way for attention. " Tony said he would send be coordinates when we're a little closer, so that nothing leaks, I guess. He also mentioned that the flight was cleared, we're undercover as a private medical supply company making a delivery for charity."

" How nice of us" Clint threw one of the bags onto an empty leather seat, and gestured the cockpit to Natasha, " shall we?"

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Within a few minutes, they were in the air, Clint in the left seat and Natasha next to him. She did allow herself a moment to recall how often the two of them were in this position, however it was usually in far less of a severe situation. Bruce stayed in the back, with the suggestion to take a nap, but was likely not going to do so. Tony had sent the landing coordinates, for the Stark Industries airport, which was shut down just as Tony had joined the Avengers project. It was a risky landing site, but, also necessary.

" I'm sorry about what I said earlier" Clint finally said, " you know I'm not good at making a bad situation any better."

Natasha adjusted her headset, which she wore in case Tony was going to try and contact them, " it's not a bad situation."

" Steve missing is not a bad thing?"

" No, that is. But Steve and I being...together, that's not a bad thing. And that's what your comments were about."

Clint rolled his head along the back of the pilots chair, " it's not because of Steve, just the idea of you being in a relationship, and taking it seriously, is foreign to me. Even when you and I were in a relationship."

" That may be because we weren't _in _ a _relationship_, Clint" Natasha muttered.

" Okay, well, then assuming you're more serious with Steve than we were, that's a pretty big step. For you, at least. Plus, he is the captain."

She let out a groan, " my, God, I'm not dating Captain America. I'm dating Steve, you've met him, he's not his title."

He could sense her becoming flustered, again, though chose to continue despite that he may get lashed out at. " Well, when did the dating start? Still think it's weird you're calling it dating."

" Well, what else am I going to call it?" she purposely avoided his gaze, sensing that he was looking at her. " It was after I moved to DC, about a month or two ago, maybe a little more. I don't think either of us can pinpoint an exact date, it's just progressed. We spent a lot of time hiding it, usually if we were around others, I would pretend to suggest other girls he should be taking out on dates, or make obvious statements that he's single."

Clint laughed, " and the two of you helping to save millions of people only made the heart grow fonder, right?"

" Guess so."

" As long as he's treating you properly."

" Is that something you're really concerned about him doing?"

" Fair enough."

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The plane safely landed, without an attack or any kind of fight breaking out between the pilots. The three of them made sure the coast was clear before departing the plane into the cold New York air. It was still dark, they were easily agitated from the lack of rest, more so when seeing the car waiting on the tarmac. Obviously, it had been left there by Tony, though he was nowhere in sight. They were only fifteen minutes or so from Stark Tower.

" I cannot wait until we're able to hold still for a little while!" Clint whined.

Bruce drove to eliminate any additional conflict, and Clint insisted on keeping his blows up front in his lap, darting out every window in the car, waiting for something to appear. A bad guy, Steve, a stray leaf. Whatever it was, he was ready, but in the mean time he was satisfied making faces at Natasha whenever he looked in the back seat. Fortunately, there was not any kind of defense that would be needed, as they arrived to the tower with no incident.

" I find it suspicious that nothing happened to the four of us" Natasha said, gazing up at the large, dark tower. There did not appear to be any lights on, it blended in nicely. " Between Florida and New York, the Iron Man suit and then a plane, we didn't get so much as a dirty look."

Clint handed her the lightest bag that had been brought along, " the day is young, agent. And we've only just arrived."

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**The chapter did run a little longer, but this seemed like a nice cut off for now. I do apologize that the plot is a little slow, but, I assure you the good stuff is coming! Thank you all for reading!**


	8. Chapter Eight

Tony greeted them at the elevator, on the thirteenth floor. To him, someone who was not going to fall for superstition, it could oddly enough be the safest place in the tower for them. That particular floor looked like a modern apartment. A modern, Tony Stark apartment, that is. Only one light in the center of the open floor plan was on, everything else appeared to be baron.

" Where's Pepper?" Natasha asked as they wandered around in exploration. She was looking forward to the presence of another female.

" Uh, I don't know" Tony answered, pouring drinks in the kitchenette, deciding that everyone needed one. " I know she's in hiding, but, I don't know here."

Bruce's eyes widened, " you don't know where she is?"

Tony began handing out the glasses to each of his guests, " I know she's safe. But, if I don't know where she is, someone else who shouldn't know where she is can't force it out of me."

The room remained silent for an agonizing moment, reflecting on how much o a risk others were at, let alone their own safety. Even for Tony, to make such a sober statement, one that was laced with his own unsettlement.

" Anyways, that's why we're here, to try to put an end to this" Tony said, handing Natasha a glass of cranberry juice. It was assumed that hers, unlike the others, was alcohol free, but that would remain between them.

" We hardly knew it even started" she said.

" Then you're here alone, are you?" Clint asked, surveying the city skyline while gazing out the floor to ceiling windows.

Tony turned towards the window, " yes" but then quickly turned back, " wait, no. I have a doctor downstairs, for a check up. I asked her to stay until Natasha gets here."

Natasha glared at him, mid-sip of her drink. It was a warning glare, to say the least. She was worried it would cause unnecessary questions, since it certainly didn't blend in.

" Are you sure that's a good idea?" Clint made his way down the carpeted steps to a an area surrounded by couches, " having someone else here? That's so random."

Tony inflated his cheeks before letting out a puff of air, " smoke inhalation is a scary thing, Barton. Along with third degree burns. We were in a fire, you know. We're not much use for Steve if we're not in good shape ourselves, or if someone drops dead."

Bruce nodded his head in agreement, but really, he saw through that reasoning, " that sounds like a good idea."

" She'll leave as soon as Natasha is checked out" he added, " I'll even go with her."

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Natasha and Tony rode the elevator back down to the twelfth floor. She was aggravated by the situation, and how he almost caused a scene, but reminded herself that he meant well, and kept the angry thoughts to herself.

" The doctor didn't really examine you, did she?" she asked, as the elevator started its slow start.

" Not really, maybe a kick smack at my knee for the reflexes and what not. You, though" and Tony pointed right at her, in case she thought he may have been referring to somebody else " you need to get checked out."

Natasha rolled her eyes, " is this really necessary right now?"

The elevator came to a final stop, the doors opened to a dimly lit- but well decorated- hallway that Tony stepped into. " Yes, it is. Because of everyone here, Sergeant is the most important."

" I'm sorry, Sergeant?" Natasha followed him down the hall.

Tony pointed to her stomach, " Sergeant. It's like the junior ranking of Captain. It's cute, right?"

She agreed, it was, " but I don't think thats the correct order of rank in the army."

" It's fine, it doesn't matter if its exact. My point is, the little one is top priority, even if not everyone knows that right now. And that little prick in your finger is not enough."

" I still don't think it's a good idea, having someone else here."

" Don't worry" he muttered as they rounded the corner to a well lit laboratory.

Not that she was shocked he had such a setting in his home, especially considering the size, but some elaboration did impress here. There were a number of machines, none of which she recognized, along with well stocked shelves and cabinets full of supplies.

A middle aged woman looked up from her file on the counter, greeting them both with a smile, not seeming too concerned with any ongoing events.

" You must be Natasha" she greeted, shaking hands when close enough, " I'm Melinda, I'm Mr. Stark's attending physician."

" It's very nice to meet you, thank you so much for helping."

" Tony has told me the exciting news. Congratulations! You must be so excited."

Natasha smiled, the doctors warm expression being very contagious, " I"m not sure what I am yet."

" That's certainly understandable. Is this your first pregnancy?"

" Uh, yeah, it is."

Melinda gestured for her to lay down on the examination table under the overhead light. All the vitals were examined, and came back normal. No concerns with her lungs or any minor injuries to her skin That's not what was worrying her, however. Natasha lifted up her shirt when instructed to do so, and Tony announced that this was his cue to leave.

But Natasha stopped him, " no, please, stay."

Tony made a face, " are you sure?" she nodded.

Melinda retrieved a bottle from under the table, having been prepared when Tony told her what her assistance would be needed for. A clear gel was squirted onto Natasha's exposed stomach, " any idea how far along you may be?"

" N-no, I don't" Natasha answered.

Tony snorted, " that much, huh?" After the snarky comment, he noticed that Natasha had turned her head, facing away from Melinda and the ultrasound machine. He also noticed that she had began to tremble.

" Let's see if we can figure that out for you" the doctor said, as she began to move the wand along Natasha's skin, spreading the newly applied gel. " Are you alright, sweetie?" she asked the patient. She, too, was beginning to notice the shaking.

Natasha nodded, eyes closing tightly. " I am, I'm just...I'm sorry" she whispered.

Tony leaned over just a bit, " I'm didn't have you do this to be mean."

" I know you didn't."

He reached for her hand, gently taking hold of it. his thumb glided along the top of her head. The gesture, along with her deep breathing, helped ease her nerves, but not by too much. She stayed laying in the same position.

" Well, judging by the size of the baby, I'm predicting you're about seven weeks into the pregnancy" Melinda said, focusing on the monitor in front of her, "however, this is not my area of expertise, but definitely in the seven week range." She glanced over at Natasha, " would you like to see?"

Natasha shook her head, " no, no thank you."

" Nat" Tony said in a soft tone, wanting to convince her otherwise. He saw her eyes open just enough, for a pair of tears to slip out and begin trailing down her nose and cheek.

" I can't, not right now" she cried, " is...is everything okay?"

The doctor felt agony for the young girl laying on the table, " the baby looks great. The right size, and a nice strong heartbeat. I'll print some pictures, in case you want to look later."

And she did as promise, printing black and white photos from under the monitor. She handed them to Tony, who hid them in his back pocket. Natasha's stomach was cleaned off, and Melinda began to gather her belongings.

" I'm going to leave a list of obstetricians in the city, they come highly recommended. It's important you get another check up in the next few weeks, make sure everything is on track. You may be able to get an idea on the due date by then. If I had to guess, I would say mid to late November."

Natasha's sniffles were too distracting for her to listen to any important instructions. Tony seemed to be paying attention, nodding along and seeming to be intrigued to whatever it was he was being told. A few moments later, Tony thanked Melinda, and she left with the large tote bag she had arrived with, headed towards the elevator.

" That was nice of her to come" Natasha squeaked, wrapping her arms around herself after she pulled herself into a sitting position onto the table.

Tony shrugged, " I told her how important it was. Because it is."

She sniffled again, this time not being able to hold back another wave of tears. The emotions didn't seem worth hiding any longer, she was so far out of her element as it was. " It shouldn't be happening like this" she cried.

Tony clicked his tongue, " what shouldn't have? Conception?"

" No" though that was a little out of the ordinary as well, " the ultrasound, the doctor visit...he's suppose to be here. I'm not suppose to be alone."

" Hey, hey, no" Tony stepped forward, forcing her into a hug (she was getting a lot more than usual later, it was nice), " no, no, you're not alone."

She sobbed harder, " he's suppose to be here!" and for a brief moment, she felt guilty for screaming in his ear.

But he didn't make a fuss about it, " listen to me" he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back just enough to face her, " even if the worst case scenario becomes the...soon to be current situation, no one is leaving you and Sergeant behind. Lots of uncles, yes, but certainly not alone." Natasha paused, and he thought he had made progress, but then she continued crying, " come on! Jarvis is great with kids!"

" If you two are done down there, we may have found Steve" Clint's voice rang through the intercom system, and Natasha almost knocked Tony to the floor when she jumped off the table in a mad dash.

The two of them made a mad return to the thirteenth floor, where Clint and Bruce were hunched over a laptop that had been set up on the coffee table, Bruce was typing away, both hardly noticed that the others had returned.

" Steve!" Natasha yelped, " you found him?!"

Bruce looked up, but only at Tony with a narrowed glare, " when were you going to tell us that you had put a tracking device inside Steve?"

Tony's hand clenched into a fist and rested over his mouth, and his eyes widened as the other three were giving him ugly, and possibly well deserved, stares.

" You knew where Steve was this _entire time_?" Natasha dragged out the pronunciation of each word for emphasis.

" No!" Tony was quick to defend, " no, well, I forgot that I did that."

" This software is rather old, it hasn't been updated in months, so that's very likely."

Tony pointed at Bruce after what may have been an act of backing up buddy, " yes, see, I forgot! Innocent mistake, could have happened to anyone" he saw that there was still an explanation wanted from him, and he let out a sigh. " Okay, it was right after New York, Steve and I were hanging out somewhere downstairs while construction was going on, the rest of you were meeting with the may or something. Anyways, we were letting off some steam, and both were a little drunk..."

" Steve can't get drunk" Natasha muttered.

" I was drunk enough for the both of us, but it was rubbing off on him. We were making a joke that he should have a microchip implanted in him in case he was ever buried under seventy years of snow again. Then we could find him! So, yes, I put one in the back of his neck after he fell asleep. And yes, I forgot. A lot has gone on since then."

The staring continued.

" Wow" Clint finally muttered. He, like the others, were not too surprised of the explanation.

Bruce scratched the back of his neck, " well, now that we have that out of the way. Assuming the microchipped wasn't removed, we can track him, but, since the the software is outdated, it's a pretty big radius"

" How big?"

" About ten miles. So, lets get going."

He, along with Clint, took off for preparation. Natasha attempted to join them, but Tony snatched her elbow.

" You're staying here."

Her eyes lit up, " are you crazy?! What are the chances that we would get this lucky?!"

" Yes, we're lucky, and it's going to stay that way" he leaned in closer and lowered his voice, " that's why you and Sergeant are staying here."

Her eyes stayed locked on his, and he did the same. Whether or not she would admit it, he was right. Nothing could bring her more joy than to destroy the streets of New York, and whoever it was that took Steve in the first place. But, there were other things that came first, and that was something that she couldn't argue.

" Are we going or not?" Bruce unplugged a hand help GPS that was connected to the laptop.

Tony made the announcement, though only continued to look at her, " Nat is going to stay here. In case Steve shows up. Who knows, if he escapes, his first instinct may be to come here."

" Excellent idea" Bruce agreed, joining Clint by the door, all supplies gathered, " lets get going."

Tony grabbed a suitcase that was leaning against the couch- the suit, she assumed- and joined the others. " Jarvis is fully programmed, anything electric in here can be used to get in contact with us. If anything happens, tell us, and use anything you need."

Natasha felt like a teenager being left home alone with instructions on how to survive. They left, and she was alone, she hated being alone. This was a recent development.

She could still hear them bickering in the elevator.

" You put a microchip in someones body and FORGOT" Clint snapped.

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Natasha collapsed on the couch, her first real moment to the rest since the beach house that once was. Not even when sleeping did she feel this at ease. Maybe it was the silence, or being the only person in an enormous skyscraper. There was also the thought that Bruce, Tony, and Clint could walk through the door with Steve at any moment. Or, without him.

She had stopped asking Tony for updates through the walkie talkie that Jarvis had provided, he was getting annoyed and made sure she was aware of that. Soon enough, she fell asleep on the couch she was yet to get off of.

Hours later, when she awoke, everything was just as quiet as before. There were no nightmares, no panic attacks, not even any vomiting (not yet), everything was the same. When her eyes opened, she looked down to where her hand was resting on her stomach, over her hoodie. She assumed it must have secured herself there while she was sleeping. There was a slight change in that area, maybe something only she would notice for the time being. But, it was enough for her to come to terms, that no matter what happened on the outside, this was gong to follow its own timeline.

" Here we go" she whispered, caressing her stomach, even if it had no impact for the being on the other side just yet. " We're going to find your daddy, I promise. You'll know who he is, one way or the other" she continued her conversation with the little being. The rambling went on for a little while longer, eventually trailing off as she dozed off again.

By the second time she woke, she was beyond restless, all exhaustion fading away. There hadn't been any updates from the boys- sure, they were alright, but still no sign of Steve. The radius was far too large, as was the city itself. Bruce refused to let them split up, to avoid another search party for when another one of them went missing.

Nighttime eventually came again, and there had been no change. The day was spent pacing, tidying the already spotless apartment, and playing various word games with Jarvis- with the occasional upset stomach. The computer was actually very good and keeping her distracted. Considering his creator, he had more than enough practice.

She had found more of Pepper's clothing in the back bedroom, sticking to a selection including yoga pants as she was hardly Pepper's size to begin with. She sat down in front of the laptop that Bruce had been using and pulled it open. The tracking software was still displayed on the screen.

The signal- better yet, Steve- was weak, wherever it was. The doctor had been right, the radius was going to make the search much harder, but she had to remind herself that it was better than nothing.

Natasha squinted, wanting to verify what she saw on the screen was correct. The signal- Steve- began moving, drifting along the lines of the underlying map. Very slowly, but enough for it it to be noticed. She dove over the back of the chair she had been sitting in, rushing to snatch the walkie talkie off the kitchenette counter.

" Tony, Tony! Are you there?! The signal is moving.

She held the device close to her face, desperately awaiting a response.

" Moving" he soon responded, " to where?"

Natasha ran back to the computer to check, " uh, it looks like it's moving southeast, but I can't get the exact coordinates."

There was a static pause before Tony came back, " did it move at all before?"

" No, not that I've seen."

" We're north of the tower right now" he said, " which means the signal is heading _towards_ the tower. But that's just a guess."

Her eyes widened, and she leapt off the chair again, " then you were right! You said he could come back here! He probably is, and he probably needs help!"

" Natasha, we don't know if that's even him, stay where you are. if it keeps getting closer, tell me, I can come back."

" NO!" Natasha screamed loud enough to cause feedback in the device, " no! He could need help, I'm going after him!"

She switched off the walkie talkie and headed for the elevator. With any more luck, she would be on the run before Iron Man could come back and stop her.

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Natasha took off in the car that they had arrived from the airport with. Her mind was racing, too fast to process any rational thought. The only instinct she had was to drive in the correct direction, only being able to filter how Steve from anyone else walking on the street who wasn't him. It was more of use than sitting on the couch and waiting for nothing. Tony's wrath could be dealt with later.

Forty five minutes into the frantic search, there was nothing. However, that also meant no angry rescue from Iron Man, and that was just as beneficial for car turned down a less populated street, she soon saw that there wasn't anyone lurking about, which she didn't find too suspicious for that part of town, and that hour of the night.

The car accelerated, distracted by thoughts that Steve could be hiding on the side of the street, injured, and waiting for help. The loud crack of the windshield startled her, and brought her back to reality as she slammed on the brakes.

The street was too dark to identify where, or from who, the bullet came from. She crouched further into the seat when another bullet took out the passenger side window, she screamed. While staying low to the car floor, she pushed open the driver side door and rolled into the street. She heard footsteps scraping along the tar as she ran, and she cursed herself for not thinking to bring a gun with her.

" Agent Romanoff, show yourself" a mans voice called, it didn't sound far, " do not make this difficult for yourself."

Her breath quickened, her throat swallowed hard as she crouched low, behind the drivers door. This may have been why Tony wanted her to stay back at the tower for all this time.

Another window on the car was shot out, she closed her mouth tightly so that there were not any sounds of fear that could escape. All senses were right on the edge, but she could not program herself on what to do next.

By the time she was able to realize that someones arm had wrapped itself around her waist, she was being dragged backwards. Another hand closed over her mouth, Natasha and the captor scrambled to the alley next to where she had stopped the car. It was dark, and silent enough that they were not seen by whomever it was that was lurking about the streets.

She was being dragged, but in a delicate manner. There was a quick left turn down another path between neighboring buildings, only a few more feet before they came to a stop. She chose not to put up a struggle, and instead, stayed pressed against the man who had backed them into the brick wall.

" Please, don't panic" his voice rasped, " I'm want to help you."

Natasha was not sure if she could recognize that voice. The hand over her mouth, however, tasted of metal.

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**I apologize for the wait, but you've all been so patient with some dull chapters, I wanted to pick things up in the plot for this one. Thank you for reading!**


	9. Chapter Nine

Tony, full suited at that, landed on the balcony outside Stark Tower. He ran inside before there was a chance for one of his many robots to even try and remove the suit, and luckily, he had landed on the correct floor. He saw that the apartment was empty once he was inside, but he knew there was a slim chance that he was going to get there in time.

" Shit" he muttered, " Banner, Nat is gone" he announced through a communication device inside his mask.

" I don't know why you're shocked" Bruce responded from miles away, " I'm surprised she stayed for as long as she did."

Tony walked over to the laptop that had been left on the coffee table, " at least we know which way she's going" he said as he examined the screen.

" It's others who should be afraid of her, I wouldn't worry, we have plenty here to keep us busy."

Bruce brushed off the incident, but he wasn't sensing that Tony was concerned for a much different reason. It was a new feeling for Tony, as well.

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The hold on Natasha was released once a small army of, well, whomever they were. That remained unknown, but either way, they stayed hidden long enough that whoever was after Natasha moved on, assuming she had done the same. Now, she stood in a narrow ally, across from Bucky Barnes. Or, maybe he was still under the impression that he was the Winter Soldier, there was a chance that he wasn't sure.

He seemed very fragile, at least in comparison to the last time she encountered him. He was dressed in street clothes, with what appeared to be a shorter haircut hidden under a baseball cap. The metal appendage was covered under the jacket, with his hand exposed. He seemed just as horrified by the surroundings.

" Thank you" she finally spoke in her frail tone.

" You're welcome" she did not get a dangerous vibe from him, and her senses were especially heightened given the situation. If he was looking to become violent with her, it likely would have already happened by now.

" Who was that?" she asked.

Bucky peed around the corner, " Hydra, maybe. Actually, it probably was them. Looks like they want to get their hands on you just as much as they do me."

Natasha nipped at her bottom lip, trying to read what side of his own life he was on. It would certainly give her an idea about how much he knew. Especially about her.

" Bucky" he looked up at her, and she took it as a good sign that he responded to that name, " why are you here? Why didn't you make a run for it from Washington?"

He began to fidget, " I know they took Steve, and I know where he is."

That got her going. " You do?! Where is he!?"

He retrieved a folded and torn piece of paper, handing it to her. She saw that there was an address written on it. " It's an old warehouse, some of the Hydra agents have a base set up. Trust me, he's here."

She examined the address, it wasn't far, from what she could. " How do you know?" she felt guilty, that for a brief moment she was worried that it was a trick.

" Because, I've been there before."

Her breath hitched before she dared to ask, " is she dead?"

Bucky looked back at her, " I can't say for sure, but, likely not. He's more use to them alive."

Her throat swelled, " what do they want with him?"

" Same thing they wanted with me, except, I think their plan may be in reverse now" she saw her expression scrunch, " go get him, now. Before any more damage is done to him."

" Why don't you come with me?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the ally, eyes darting in every direction possible, just to be sure. " I can't. But trust me, you need to go help Steve."

Natasha tugged at his wrist, pulling him to a stop just as they reached the sidewalk. Only this time, they were on the other side of the street. " We can help you, too."

Her tone was inviting, and for the first time since he could remember, someone wanted to be eon his side. He knew, however, that it was not an option. " No, no I have to leave. They're going to be looking for me, too. I can lead them off his scent, but I don't know for how long. Just make sure he's safe, that both of oyu are safe."

He stopped rambling only long enough to hail the line cab that came rolling by on the road. " We can help you, too" she repeated, " it's what Steve would want, I know that."

The cab stopped, and he opened the door to the backseat for her, " sometimes Steve is too good to know better."

Before she got into the cab, and she knew she wasn't going to win this battle with him, she scribbled a cell phone number on his human hand. It was better than leaving with nothing. He was gone before the car even pulled away from the curb. As she headed back to Stark Tower, she smiled for the first time in days.

Bucky had said that Steve was too good sometimes. He was right. He was remembering.

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Tony, still in the suit (with the mask up), was sitting on the couch waiting when Natasha came brushing through the door. He jumped up, and just in time, she nearly tripped from running so quickly.

" I'm sorry, I'm sorry I left!" Natasha cried. By the time he caught hold of her arms, the tears were already staining her cheeks, she had managed to hold them back until she reached the elevator. " I know where he is!"

Her arms could move freely enough to fish the piece of paper that Bucky had given her, from where she secured it in the side of her yoga pants.

" Natasha, you were supposed to stay here. You're pregnant, you have to be careful!"

She frantically nodded, shoving the paper into his hand. " I know, and you can lecture me later, but please go get him. Please!"

Tony read the address, " where did you get this?"

" I'll explain letter, will you please GO!"

" Okay, okay! You need to relax though, come on" he cupped her face with cold, steel hands, " take a few deep breaths, and do not leave this apartment for anything."

Hiccups began to cluster in her chest, " I won't. Please, bring him back to me."

Tony walked by her. Once out on the patio, he yelled for Jarvis to lock down the building. She was only ale to hear him take off, there were iron shutters that had closed over the tall windows, and she heard various locks shifting into place. Such a lock down created a stranger echo as her cries grew harder.

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Jarvis gave it his all, trying to bring Natasha down to a calmer state. He arranged for a mug of lavender tea to be brewed, and even read her a few short stories from his data base to help take her mind off things. It didn't work, not entirely, but she did take his suggestion to lay down in the bedroom that was on that floor, which included an electric fireplace that Jarvis had turned on.

" Rest is very important for the mother, especially during spells of morning sickness, Ms. Romanoff"

Natasha smiled, " I appreciate your concern, Jarvis."

" Of course, ma'am."

There was no reason to be concerned with him spilling the beans, and likely only took in the information because she and Tony were discussing it. Laying in the bed, she had become memorized by the fire, the fake one at that. She felt no reason to be so relaxed, so zen, but she most certainly was. The conclusion was her body deciding that, no matter what the circumstances, her blood pressure and nerves had to slow down. After all, for the time being it wasn't just her body.

The room became a tad brighter when the door was opened, light from the main room came flooding in. She thought nothing of it, until it began closing again.

" I'm awake" she said, pushing herself up on the mattress.

Bruce was standing in the doorway, smiling. " Hey, I just wanted to check on you."

Natasha slid off the side of the bed, taking one of the thin blankets with her to keep around her shoulders. A she got closer, he was covered in scuff marks and exhaustion. " Are you okay?" she whispered.

" Everyone is okay."

She leaned in, " did you find Steve?"

In such a brief moment, she feared a lengthy explanation, or even worse, being told no. However...

" We did, yes" he saw the tears begin to swell in her eyes, " he was right where you said he would be. He's alive."

She tugged tighter at the blanket, " is he okay?"

Bruce attempted to say something else, but instead " we're working on that."

" Can I see him?"

" Of course."

The towers elevator was certainly getting its use. As they walked, Bruce wanted to prepare her for what she was going to see downstairs. But, not before he explained that Clint and Tony were in the garage, tying up some loose ends with their return.

" We found Steve unconscious, and I haven't been able to wake him up. He has an IV for some fluids, hopefully that will help."

" Are you able to tell what they did to him?"

Bruce let out a sign, " maybe, but I'm not sure if my ideas would be correct" the two exited the elevator, and rounded a corner in the hallway, and she then realized that it was the twelfth floor again, but in a different direction. " I'm hoping he can fill us in later."

They entered a smaller area, at the far end of the floor, one that looked like an open seating area. Maybe it was before, there was a collection of couches and arm chairs pushed into the corner near one of the large windows. There was a counter on the other side, similar to the stock pile Natasha had seen earlier. The entire floor must have been dedicated for medical necessities.

There was a bed, one designed for a hospital, in the center of the room, and Steve was occupying it. Natasha made a noise when first seeing hime, one that wasn't heard over the sound of the heart monitor. Bruce had wandered off to the counter to tinker, but she was not nearly as quick. Her steps towards the bed were few and far in between, like she was worried that he would pop up and spook her (this would be the one time that she wouldn't mind if he did that). She eventually made it to his bedside.

To her, it appeared as though he was sleeping, not drugged. She knew it wasn't the case, but, she had watched him sleeping enough to memorize what it looked like. There was bruising near his eyes, neck, and collarbone from what she could see, along with various cuts and scrapes. Her eyes followed the tubing of the IV that Bruce had given him, seeing a deep, thick bruise that wrapped around his wrist. There was a matching one on the other wrist, they looked like bracelets.

" He was tied to something" she somberly said.

" Yeah, he was" Bruce was reading through his notes on the counter, " What concerns me, is how wasn't he able to get out of any kid of restraints? He's a hard guy to keep down."

They went silent again, Natasha tried to to remember if the shirt Steve was wearing was the one she had last seen him in. Her hand dangled at her side, she reached to hold his fingers, but her nerves spiked and she immediately let go.

" He's ice cold!" she yelped, in case Bruce didn't know.

But, he was aware, " his temperature has dropped significantly. The blanket he has is electric, we have to warm him up slowly, or he could go into shock."

" How is he this cold!?"

Bruce walked pack into the light, looking at Steve again. " We found him in a tank that's...well, it's used for cryporeservation. "

Natasha's jaw fell, " they were freezing him?"

" Trying to, at least. I drew blood for some tests, and I don't want to scare you with any of my loose theories until we know more. He's breathing on his own, his heart beat is regular, that's all good news for right now."

" What happened over there?"

Bruce shook his head and smiled, " we'll get to that later."

Maybe she should have pushed for more of an update, but now was not the time.

She traced his cheek with the back of her hand, " can I stay here with him?"

Bruce appeared to be taken aback, that she was asking for permission, like she believed that he was in charge. " Uh, yeah, of course. Actually, that's a good idea, he's going to be a little spooked when he comes to, it would be good if someone was here." He noticed that her hand, which was resting by her side had grabbed Steve's pinky finger that was hanging off the side of the bed, but he didn't say anything. " Would you mind if I went and got some rest?" he asked, and she wondered by he believed that she was in charge, " it was a long night."

" Yeah, that's fine. I can come get you if there's a problem?" he nodded, " but, I'm sure everything will be fine."

He took one last look over everything, every wire that was attached to Steve- and there were a lot. " Everything should be fine. Again, he'll be confused when he wakes up. And cold, but remember he has to warm up slowly. There's a thermometer over there, just watch it carefully."

She nodded, " I'll keep a close eye on him." The relieved doctor headed for the exit. " Are you ever going to tell me what happened in the warehouse?" she quickly asked.

Bruce stopped and looked over his shoulder, " there isn't a warehouse anymore."

They were alone, again. The first time since the beach house. It was a less than ideal situation, but, she would happily accept it for now. At one point, she pushed an arm chair from the corner of the room to his bedside. Perhaps it was more of a struggle than she should be subjecting herself to, but, her stomach was not making standing very easy.

Before she at down, she gave a quick kiss on his forehead. He didn't budge, and her lips tingled from how cold his body was.

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Back upstairs, Bruce had just returned to where Clint and Tony were settled. Both were addressing various wounds achieved through the rescue mission. Bruce was spared from any serious injury, as he was not quite himself during the climax of the mission. Tony had suffered a few burns, and Clint was cleaning out a nasty gash on his upper arm.

" You're not going down there" Bruce said, after Tony announced that he was going to check on Steve and Natasha, " they're fine, and Natasha will call for help if she needs it."

Clint snorted, " she's not going to need any help."

Tony wandered around the open area, now donning his pajamas, " I just don't want her to overwhelm herself, a lot has been going on."

Clint looked up from his wound, " hey, since when are you so concerned about Nat? Not too long ago, you said we were the ones who needed protection from her.

" We do" Tony was quick, but not quick enough to avoid the deer in the headlights look, " but, we already have one of us hooked up to a bunch of machines, we don't need another."

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Natasha stayed cozy in the arm chair, the sounds of the heart monitor had become calming for her, as eerie as it may have been. The noise meant he was alive, so to her, it was a glorious noise. She enjoyed it, just as much as she she did watching his chest rise and fall.

" I'm not sure if I should tell the others that it was Bucky who told me where you were" she began, " they may see it as a betrayal, but, he wanted to help you just as much as we did."

She paused, waiting for a reaction, but there wasn't one. It was assumed he could not hear her, and it was better that way during such a confession.

" I remember when they found you, and your body was brought back to SHIELD. Everyone thought you were dead, and they wanted to have a proper soldiers burial for you. You had only been defrosting for a day or so when a heartbeat was detected, and you looked just like you did now, everyone was waiting for you to come to and find out what happened. Anyways, it was assumed that if they brought in things that you would remember, it would help with the shock of waking up after all that time. That didn't end well when you actually woke up, but, they wanted to make the transition a little easier."

She watched his chest continue to rise and fall with deep breaths, but there was still no sign of waking, or any hint that he was understanding what she was saying. And she certainly wanted to make sure before continuing.

" That's when they brought in Bucky's old army portfolio, and I saw the pictures" her breath stopped momentarily, " I recognized him right away, but, like the two of you, I had a hard time remembering a big chunk of my life, as well. It haunted me, knowing where someone came from, and knowing who they had become even when they didn't" she stopped again, " but, I never knew how to tell you, that I knew Bucky was alive this whole time."

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	10. Chapter Ten

" Please don't leave us" it was the last plea she had aloud, before subjecting herself to silence.

Steve could feel his toes begin to wiggle, very slightly. A pins a needles feeling crept through his legs, moving up to his chest and neck, then back down to his fingertips. Then came a consistent beeping sound, his head twitched, as though his objection to it would make the noise go away, but instead, it grew louder.

His head felt something was inside, and it was trying to push its way out. It was difficult enough to feel out his surroundings, or even that he was laying down, his sense were not awakening as quickly as he would like. His eye opened, but he couldn't see anything specific, only a messy blur of lights and colors. His mouth opened, it was dry, and he could feel how coarse his throat was.

" Natasha" he gasped, hardly. The name was followed by a struggle for air.

And Natasha had not left. She was fumbling through some file folders that Bruce had left behind, wanting to both distract and educate herself. When she heard her name, her head popped up. The files were thrown over her shoulder and she sprung to her feet. Relief washed over her when she saw blue eyes, though he appeared to be struggling as he woke.

" Steve!" she gently whispered, leaning over his body and trying to soothe him as he struggled against the bed, " oh, thank God."

Her hand touched his arm, and he immediately fought back. He grabbed the front of her shirt, and attempted to force her off of him. Whatever had been done to him, made him weaker, otherwise he would have easily thrown her through a wall.

Instead, she held on to the side of the bed with one hand and cradled his face with the other.

" Get the hell off of me!" he groaned.

She leaned further over his body, hovering closer to his face. " Steve! It's me, Natasha!"

His eyes met hers, but there was no reaction, " Nat?" he was quizzical, to say the least, " I can't see you!" but his struggle did stop.

" I'm right here" she gently stroked his cheek, not forgetting how cold his body was.

Steve blinked numerous times, " I can't see anything...it's just...it's blurry."

She looked him over as he continued to catch his breath form a horrified awakening that followed such a deep and unnatural sleep, " maybe it was a side effect from the freezing."

" The what?!"

Natasha continued stroking his cheek, " Tony, Bruce, and Clint found you in a cryo-freezing tank."

Steve tried to push himself upwards, but only enough strength to make it part of the way. That, and Natasha used her advantage to push him back down The heart monitor quickened, she couldn't feel it in his chest. " Not again!" he nearly whined, " for how long? What year is it?!"

At that moment, she was glad he could not see her, as he probably wouldn't be amused that she smirked at his worry filled question. " It's okay" she cooed, " it's only been a few days, if that."

His eyes moved like they were suddenly regaining sight, but with no such like. He was beginning to calm, the feeling of her hand on his face helping. " Where are we?"

" Stark Tower."

" How did we get to New York?!"

Natasha sat up, perched herself to sit on the side of the bed, " we're not sure how you got here, but we came here to get you. Try to relax."

Steve's hand reached out, in search of any part of her body. He eventually found her thigh, " are you okay?"

" I'm fine, everyone is fine. It's you that we've been worried about."

His hand eventually found hers, and closed over it as it rested near his collarbone. Her other hand was caressing the side of his ribcage. Him being blind, even if temporary, startled him along with a fuzzy mind and the unknown drug cocktail running through his veins. She was trying to calm him, and it as not her specialty, but simply her touch was relaxing him. His body sank lower into the mattress, and Natasha went with him. Her fingernails lightly scratched his ribcage, his breath hitched, but she had learned in their time together that it was a technique that he responded very well to.

She continued watching him, very closely, hoping that the steps on what to do next would make themselves clear. She felt fortunate that there had been enough experience helping him through rough episodes, even if this one was not related to a seventy year time gap.

" What's the last thing you remember?" she finally asked.

His forehead creased, whatever memory that was, it was not very clear. " We were in the jacuzzi, at the beach house" she smiled, that his last recent memory was a pleasant one, " but I'm probably missing a few chapters."

" Just a few" he couldn't see the gloomy face as she realized that he didn't recall their last conversation, when she suspected that she was pregnant. So much for the lead in he had planned, but now wasn't the time to throw him back on to that topic. " The beach house was bombed, and that's when you went missing. Maybe once you recover more, you can remember more."

Steve placed his hands flat on the bed, pushing himself upwards. Natasha was quick to grab his shoulders and assist. He was weak, but not that weak, and she wasn't sure how far he would make it without being able to see. " It's like I saw the movie, but I don't remember the plot."

" It'll come back to you" she said, standing on the floor to help him sit upright, against her better judgement.

" I'm not sure I want to remember" he winced in pain, " maybe it's for the best."

She noticed his eyes squinting, it seemed awkward making eye contact when she could not be seen, " do your eyes hurt?"

" Everything hurts."

It was obvious that he was freezing, she wouldn't blame him if he complained, but that wasn't his style. He had turned so that he was sitting on the edge of the mattress, and she didn't want to move too far from him. He was wearing shorts, and noticed additional injuries on his bare legs, but didn't want to draw attention to them.

" You shouldn't be sitting up" she was standing so close to him, that there was hardly a need to speak any louder than a whisper.

He did want to touch her, but was afraid to do so with being so cold . " I've done enough laying down for awhile."

Natasha let that slide, for now. Perhaps he remembered more about the capture than he was letting on. Her hands lightly traveled up and down his arms- it made her nervous that so much of his skin was exposed. " Bruce said to warm you up slowly, or you could go into shock."

Steve tensed up at the touch, " I don't remember being this cold last time."

She leaned in, hands flat on the top of his thighs, and kissed him. He was caught off guard, but she was gentle, and he returned the gesture just the same. His hands circled around her waist, resting at the top of the pants she wore. She broke away from him to gasp at the cold sensation, long enough for him to say:

" I defiantly don't remember that."

Natasha smirked and kissed him again. Their activities continued, he made an effort to pull her, and she made the attempt to get closer to him. If even for a brief moment, she wanted to fit in as much intimate time with him as possible, before they were caught or he didn't feel well again. The sudden increase in the volume of the heart monitor broke her trance. It had picked up so much, that it almost sounded like an alarm.

" No" she backed away, and he tried to follow her, but her hand on his chest stopped him, " I"m sorry."

Steve also caught on to his own heart rate, and how much it had increased. He hugged at the collar of the shirt, " let me get this thing off."

" No, don't! IF you take that off, bruce will come barging through the door, maybe even the ceiling" he looked puzzled, even though he couldn't see, " I just thought we could...you know, spend some time alone. They're probably all asleep anyways."

He smiled, " you're staying here, right?"

" I don't see why not" she pushed on his chest, encouraging him to lay down again, and he did, trying to situate himself so that there would be enough room left on the mattress.

" There's plenty of room."

She loved any attempts of flirting he took part in, because he really didn't like it, and would become very self-conscious. Even though that she would remind him that he had already won her over. " There's too many wires, I don't want to unplug anything. It's not worth the risk, not when you're not feeling well."

He knew how to read her, despite his condition, "please don't leave me alone."

There was a pinch in her chest, he had a longing look and she didn't want to disappoint in one of the rare moments that he showed vulnerability. She was careful to lay herself down next to him, not wanting to disturb any machines, or him for that matter. Steve had pushed himself onto his side, leaving plenty of room for her small frame. Her head plopped down near his shoulder, but she quickly pulled herself up for another kiss.

" I'm not leaving you" she said, and he smiled.

Steve insisted on spooning, and once again, she was not going to object. It was a delicate dance, him wrapping his arms around her, and nothing became detached. His arm coiled tighter around her, " we can always lose the blanket" she giggled, " what did I miss this time around?"

" Nothing you'll need the internet for" his hand brushed across her stomach as he readjusted his hold on her. She ached to tell him about the baby she only recently found out about herself, the one she was worried he would never know about. It seemed like an ideal time- e was there, they were alone, and he WAS asking if there was anything new he had to know about. Though she would never rank anything higher than their unborn child, there were other things to be acknowledged first.

" We need to find out what happened to you."

" I'm fine."

Her fingertips grazed over his forearm, " you can't even see, and that's just the start of it."

He nuzzled her shoulder, " I don't remember anything. You said the guys found me, they probably know more than me. Where was I?"

Under the electric blanket, Natasha lifted her feet to cover his. " I wasn't there, they wouldn't let me go. We have to be realistic, the bruises, the fact that you were almost frozen again. Someone wanted to hurt you."

" Someone has always wanted to hurt me, ever since I was a kid, it's really nothing new."

Natasha groaned, " dammit, Steve. I'm serious! I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I need you to stay alive, and I need you to be here!"

For a moment, she felt guilty for snapping at him, it was like getting mad at a puppy. He usually didn't deserve it, especially with what he had likely been through.

" I'm sorry" she whispered, " you disappearing scared me, again. I shouldn't be taking it own on you, its not your fault it happened."

He felt her tense up when his hand crossed over her stomach again, but failed to make the connection.

" I wish you would tell me everything that goes on in your head."

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Natasha had done her fair share of sleeping the last few days, not much to say about whether or not she needed it. But,t his was the first sleep where her body allowed for her to peacefully rest, rather than exhaustion forcing her to. It was far from a comfortable setting, but considering her companion, that made up for the rest.

It was also the first night she was able to dream since Steve had gone missing- maybe he needed to be around for it to happen. He certainly wasn't around in the bed that she woke up in. The sounds of amy machines were not gone, and her head was nestled on a white cotton pillow. She was not startled, there didn't seem a reason to be, even though she was no longer in the same place as where she had fallen asleep.

The room she found herself in was painted a dark red, but there was only one light on- a lamp that rested on the bed side table, opposite of where she had been sleeping. The room was cold, and she was the only one there. Natasha climbed out of the bed, bare feet on the hardwood floor, and she headed to the tall window only a few feet away. It was night, but the streets below lit up.

Moscow.

She couldn't familiarize herself with her surroundings, but, it seemed as though she already knew it.

A door opened on the other side of the room, and she turned so quickly that she noticed her red locks were now much longer. Her companion was the one exiting the bathroom, looking like he had just taken a shower. He smiled at her, maybe, it was always hard to tell. And it was moments like this that she would question how to identify him. It was never something she would eve mention to him, but the only name he ever really had was not one he could recognize anymore.

" Can't sleep?" he asked, snatching his watch from the same tale the lamp was resting on, and secured it around his non-bionic wrist.

Natasha turned her back to the window, " no, I guess not."

He sat down on the bed, retrieving a stray shirt that he had left there, pulling it over his head. " I'm not comfortable with you coming to Budapest tomorrow, it's too dangerous."

Regardless of what life she was living, any sort of assumption that her gender made an identical situation more dangerous for her irked her. She returned to the bed, sitting diagonal from him. " I"m clearly int he wrong business if you're worried about me being hurt. I'm just as qualified as you are."

The corner of his mouth curved, " it's not a matter of qualification, Natalia. I simply worry about you."

" Then maybe you're in the wrong business, too."

He sighed, frustrated that she would refuse to see the danger that he saw. She never would, to her any sign of weakness would be not be acceptable. " You're exterior can only go so deep."

She crawled towards him, we made a promise to one another, that if we were going to go forward in this relationship, it was not going to affect anything else."

He carefully watched as she moved closer to him, like he was now in trouble, which he usually was. " You're the only person I have in the world, what would I do if something happened to you?"

Natasha straddled his lap after he had leaned back against the pillows, welcoming her weight on his lap. She leaned in, being able to smell the freshly showered scent. It was moments such as this one, that existed for them to be reminded that, despite everything else about them, they were still human.

" We're not trained to worry, if anything, it hinders everything else we're suppose to be doing" her hands roamed over his shirt covered stomach. He was certainly wearing more than she was.

Her soothing attempts were not doing any good. Russians. " We were warned about a possible attack from SHIELD. They've been on to us, it's only a matter of time. They're relentless, we have no reason to think any different."

She leaned back enough to be sitting on his thighs, that last statement certainly struck a chord. " SHIELD? Did they say who?"

" No, but that Agent Barton has been lurking around Europe for the last couple of months. I've heard things, he's skilled enough that you've been dead for ten minutes before you had the chance to realize he was even there."

Natasha felt his hands come to rest on her bottom, but now was not the time to go soft. " We're prepared for people like Agent Barton. Besides, if I'm the only person you have in the world, no one is going to take me away from you."

Unfortunately, this was not a promise that Natasha was familiar with, and it easily became a lie.

Natasha finally awoke from the flashback, one that was disguised as a dream. It took her only a moment to realize what it was that woke her, until she heard the flatlining sound of the heart monitor.

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**My apologizes for the typo (though an amusing one) in the last chapter. Proof reading is sadly not fool proof, as we all know. I am trying to work Bucky/Winter Soldier back in to the story, and any suggestions are certainly welcome. **

**Thank you all again for reading!**


	11. Chapter Eleven

Natasha sprung so quickly that she smacked her head on the examination light that hung over the bed- the one that she had managed to turn off earlier before they had fallen asleep. She was quick to switch it back on, afraid of what she may see. The light flickered on, her eyes squinted, and she saw Steve laying under her- eyes closed and mouth open just a little. The screams she was releasing were at a pitch that she didn't even know she had the ability to create- and whether or not they could be heard remained unknown.

Her yank was enough to push his still body flat onto his back. She hooked her right leg over his waist, and leaned all the way down to try and listen for a pulse or breathing, another first reaction of hers. There were no sounds, but with her heavy breathing, she wasn't sure as to whether or not there was a pulse at all. His chest did not appear to be moving.

" I just told you not to LEAVE me!" she grumbled.

Natasha stopped screaming long enough to pinch Steve's nose, leaning down again and pressing her mouth to his, then sitting up to push on his chest. The pattern continued, as did her cries for help.

By the fourth or fifth round, she felt one of his ribs crack under her first, and her arms began to weaken. With one last thrust, his eyes popped open, she felt his chest rise underneath her with a deep breath that he nearly choked on. An unsteady beeping sound returned to the monitor, certainly not strong, but an improvement from the screech of the flatlining.

" Steve!" she gasped.

The door which led to the staircase for the entire tower, as she was just learning for the first time, was next to the counter behind them. Bruce and Tony came bursting through, having finally heard her screams just as they had stopped.

" He was awake" her voice shook, she couldn't even focus on Steve, " everything was fine, and then..." Tony reached over the bed, snatching Natasha by the waist and pulling her off Steve. " NO! I want to stay!" she yelled, when realizing that he was leading her out of the room.

Tony carried her into the hallway, eventually plopping her down to avoid anymore of a struggle. He gently cradled her face, attempting to gain her focus. " I need to go help Bruce, okay? You have to stay here. Stay here!" and he made a mad rush back to the room where Steve had been left. The door was closed, and she couldn't hear anything from where she sat.

Natasha stretcher her legs out, her stomach was turning in a sickening way, and she couldn't tell if it was adrenaline or a baby. She had willed herself to stop crying, her eyes closed to pair with deep, meditating breaths while waiting for something to happen. Clint's entrance was so quiet, she only noticed she had shown up- from the same direction as the elevator- when he spoke.

" What happened?"

She looked up, and recognized the pajama pants she had gotten him for his last birthday (purple cotton, with little cupids on them).

" Steve's heart stopped" her voice was so light, and it scared her to repeat what had just happened.

Clint slid down the wall opposite her- the hallway being narrow enough that his feet rested next to hers. " What?" he repeated, mostly in disbelief, looking towards the closed door, " I thought Banner said he was stable."

" He was. He was awake last night" the trance of hers continued enough to where she seemed to have lost a concept of time, " we were talking, everything was okay."

" Oh, geez, Nat. I'm sorry."

Natasha's gaze met his, her wide eyes were bare and desperate, " please, tell me what happened when you found him" she saw him hesitate, " it's not fair that you're keeping it from me."

He scratched the back of his neck, " yeah, I know, it's not" he sighed, " Tony had the address for a warehouse, I don't remember where he said he got it from, maybe he didn't say where he got it from. But, it was some kind of temp base for Hydra, probably about twenty of them. It was mostly a lab, they had Steve strapped down, and..."

" And?" she wasn't about to let him trail off now.

" He looked like a lab rat, like he was just some kind of experiment. He didn't look human anymore. And he looked like he was trying to put up a fight, but, he just didn't have it in him."

Natasha's eyes fluttered close, and then squeezed tightly. " What do they want with him?" and she was not expecting an answer, " what happened to the warehouse?"

" We destroyed it" Clint then shrugged, " Iron Man and the Hulk destroyed it. They won't be bothering anyone anymore, so that should help you sleep at night."

At that moment, she acknowledged , that the three of them went through so much to save Steve. Not that she would have doubted them, any of them would have done the same for any of the others, but it didn't seem like they even found it to be inconvenient.

After that thought, she pulled herself to her feet and trotted back to the examination room. Clint watched, but did not go after her.

Tony came through the door, just before she had the chance to do the same. He stopped her, and gently took hold of her shoulders.

" He's fine" a subdued tone was rare for Tony Stark.

Natasha's next breath nearly smothered her, and she leaned against Tony's chest. " I don't know how much more of this I can take it."

He patted her on the back, " I agree. Hopefully this is it for awhile."

The same dreary face looked up at him, " can I see him?" she hated having to ask.

" Banner needs some time with him, just to make sure everything is okay. However, in the mean time, there are pancakes to be had. Legalos! Get your bow!"

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Steve was flat on his back, again. Having returned from the dead, again. Blood being drawn, again. His left foot was twitching, causing the entire bed that he was laying in to shake. He still had the stuffy feeling in his head, and a deep pain in his chest from where Natasha had likely saved his life.

Somewhere during the aftermath, his shirt had been ripped for other life saving techniques. The heart monitor had been reattached, and was beating with no concerns. Bruce had began a round of new tests, in hopes of keeping it that way.

" I'm sorry to be wasting your time, Bruce" Steve finally said.

Bruce looked up for him his clipboard, " for what? Keeping you alive? Don't be so modest, Steve. We're here to help."

The captain felt awkward, being so exposed, at least to someone that wasn't Natasha. " I guess I really got myself into a mess this time."

The doctor pulled his stool closer to the bedside, " what kind of mess?"

Steve looked over at him, " what do you mean?"

" I'm not sure how much you remember from when we found you. But, only you know hat happened there, and I can better help you if you fill me in a little bit."

His head rolled so that he was looking up again, " there's not much I can remember, not right now at least."

" Anything would help" but the doctor saw no budge in his face, and didn't want to push, at least not yet, " did you and Natasha get to talk earlier?" Steve nodded, " any news?"

" News? I was the one who was out of the loop."

Bruce then realized that his suspicions had not reached as far as he thought, " guess you're right."

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Tony promised pancakes, and pancakes there were. The three of them sat at the kitchen counter, back on the twelfth floor, in a half circle. Tony was sitting between the other two- both men were eating like the electric chair was next on the agenda. Natasha refrained, she was grateful and relieved for Steve, but that wasn't the only thing chewing away at her brain since last night.

" How did we meet?" she asked aloud.

But, since neither of the boys were actually looking at her, Tony answered instead.

" Don't act like you don't remember. Sneaking in to Stark Industries under false pretenses" but then he saw her glaring at Clint, " oh, you were talking to him."

The other agent looked up from his plate, unaware that he had been targeted, " what'd I do?"

" How did we meet?" she asked again, " do you remember?"

Clint dropped his fork, eyes darting between Tony and her. Tony had no clue as to the can of worms Natasha was currently prying open. " Well, it wasn't exactly a run in at Starbucks."

Tony looked between the two, almost betting with himself on who was going to attack next.

" Are you asking because you don't remember, or you want to be a jerk" Clint asked, " because I can't tell."

Natasha twitched her nose, just as Tony held up his butter knife and made slashing motions in the air. " You and I never really discussed it before."

" And there's a good reason for that. Now really isn't the time to start" the stand off continued.

Tony, however, disagreed. " Actually, I would love to hear this story. I don't think I've ever heard it before. Everyone else has the meet and greet story, but not you two. Do go on!"

The conversation was interrupted when the elevator dinged, and the doors opened just a few feet away from them. Tony jumped off his chair and ran off, leaving Natasha and Clint to finish off their nasty staring contest. But, her trance was broken when seeing that Steve had arrived on the floor, along with Bruce. Clint took note of the smile that she let slip when seeing him, before slipping off her own chair.

" What are you doing out of bed!" she asked, thrilled to see that he was standing on his own, even if Bruce was standing close by.

Steve extended his left arm, exposing a black arm hand strapped to the forearm. Upon closer look, there was a small gauge in the center of , with bars of multi-colored lights rising and falling. She noticed a similar band on the other arm.

" These are some of Tony's devices, we can monitor his vitals and keep some medication in him as needed" Bruce explained. And perhaps said explanation continued, but Natasha stopped paying any attention, which was okay as long as someone else was.

She stood as close to Steve as possible, her hand reaching out to hold onto his fingers once more. In response, they bent, having an awkward hold on his (fortunately, no one other than Tony even noticed this was going on). Though her attention was recaptured when hearing Clint, who had joined the crowd, had asked:

" Any idea what was done to him?"

There was an answer, Steve and Bruce both knew that. But, at Steve's request, it was going to remain that way. A promise was made, while Bruce was installing the arm bands, that neither of them would discuss what happened- both in the warehouse, and Steve's own body while in capture.

" _You're going to have to tell the others eventually, especially Natasha" _ Bruce had said, while helping him stand on his own.

" _I will" _ Steve said, nearly stumbling and grabbing both Bruce's arm and the side of his bed, _" I just, I want to be able to get use to it myself first."_

Bruce cleared his throat, " we're waiting on a few more tests, I at least want to have those back before anything is formally determined. But, everything looks good for right now."

Steve gave a thumbs up, " and I'm not dead."

The chatter continued for another few moments. Eventually, Tony was aggravated, watching Natasha, who would then be watching Steve. He had a thought that she may jump in his arms within the next few minutes, even with everyone else in the room. The very idea of it made him sick, and he had to put an end to it.

" Hey, uh, we need to do some re-con" he announced, interrupting the other conversations, " at the warehouse, we need to go do that. The three of us, lets go."

Clint made a face, " why? We blew it up."

Tony clapped his hands together, " right, which is why we need to go make sure that people don't know about that. Or Hydra, but mostly us. Things have been a certain way, and we don't need to be hearing from Fury."

" But, we blew up the building."

" Yes, Clint, that has been established. However, the last thing we need right now is the wrong kind of attention."

Bruce nodded, " he's right. No one will ask questions if we plan a cover something tells me that Tony has a knack with PR cover ups, from experience I'm sure" Tony smirked for confirmations sake, " Natasha, would you be okay staying with Steve?"

She nodded, frantically, before the question had even finished.

" Last time she was alone with Steve, his heart stopped."

Clint's comment was an obvious swipe at Natasha for the attempt to anger him minutes before. But, Tony didn't slap Natasha on the back of the head when she pulled her stunt. He did, however, smack Clint for such a rude comment."

" I think we'll be okay" Steve assured.

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The preparation to leave did not take long. Natasha watched, feeling the effects of deja vu, but the sequel seemed much less horrifying than before. Her and Steve remained in the main room, like anxious teenagers waiting for their parents to leave for the weekend. Though that was not an entirely inaccurate description.

Bruce gave a brief demonstration for her, and how to read the gauges on Steve's arms in case of an emergency- as well as several possible situations that could also arise that left her pale in the face. There was also a warning that Steve had just been given a dosage of muscle relaxers, and he should not be left alone. Natasha found no concern with that order.

Tony gave a quick pep talk on the security protocol of the building, something he was too rushed to tell her about before. There was also a comment about not going near the liquor cabinet, which was just for show. He figured it would be safe with a pregnant girl and a drugged soldier who had no response to alcohol as it was.

And then, they left. No idea as to when they would return, but a promise that they would come hell or Nick Fury.

The moment they were gone, Natasha spun around and grabbed Steve from behind. He was slightly startled by the contact, but welcomed the reverse hug. She pressed her body tightly against his, without pressing too hard on his rib cage area.

" Hi" he whispered, caressing the hands that were resting on his stomach.

Her eyes closed, as her head nestled in the middle of his back. Due to the tremendous difference in size, she couldn't be sure if he even felt her there, but she felt him.

" Hi" she responded, inhaling a scent that she was so familiar with even if he was wearing clothing that was not his.

She was not showing any signs of wanting to move. " Are you okay?" he asked, and she mumbled in response. A moment later, he lifted his arms and managed to turn while in her grasp. She lifted her head to accommodate, and rested it on his chest once able to. He was now facing her, but her eyes remained clothes, and the deep breaths continued. Steve smiled, if only to himself, in appreciation of her wanting to stay exactly how they were.

His hands lightly roamed her back, and she let out a sigh- the only sound that echoed through the apartment.

" Natasha" he whispered a few minutes later, and she let out another mumble, " there's nothing about this I don't love, but, I'm starting to feel dizzy."

Natasha's hands slid to his bottom as she leaned back, " I'm sorry" she gasped, " it's probably the pain killers. Come here."

With her arm still secured around his waist, she lef him to the same couch she was on the day before. It was a cloudy day in the world outside, and even though they didn't have to, they continued to whisper. If anything, to take advantage of calmer circumstances for a change. Her hand never left his as he slouched down on the cushions, and she sat down right next to him.

" Are you hungry? There's leftover pancakes. Or I can make you something else."

He smiled, " no, but thank you."

" You have to eat eventually."

" I know" she noticed his eyes looking dazed, " I will, I just...I don't feel well."

Natasha scooted closer to him, " what's wrong?" she tugged on his arm to be able to examine the band.

" Nothing like that. Just sore."

" How about a massage?" Steve chuckled, wanting to accept the offer, but too shy to say so- even to her. " I have an idea" she leaned towards his ear and kissed his cheek, " how about a nice, warm bath?"

Steve looked over, not having to turn his head too far as she was right there, " is that allowed?"

" Bruce didn't specifically say not to do that. Plus, I'll be there, with you, in case anything happens."

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**I originally had more planned for this chapter. I tend to go on sprees where I'll write a ton, and then have difficulty cutting it up in to chapters. But, it's been a week, and why not spread it around the best I can. Thank you for reading!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

The bathroom that they found was attached to the bedroom Natasha had been resting in when Steve was first brought back. It was a beautiful, all white bathroom with a tempting whirlpool tub. Perfect for Stark Tower expectations. The door had been locked, but Steve had requested that undergarments remain on while in the bath, in case the others returned. Maybe part of it was modesty, but she wasn't going to bombard him with that.

Natasha stripped down to her bra and undies- one blue and one pink, because she didn't think there was going to be a show when she decided to not match. He had his back to her, and he had certainly seen her in less, but she became self conscious regarding her stomach. Her hands splayed across her skin, assuming that if she could see it, he would be able to see it. Though anyone else would tell her that there was nothing to see, not yet.

She turned the tub faucet, adding in a generous amount of bath salts from a jar that was kept nearby. Steve pulled off his shirt, the sound of the water masked the sound she made when seeing the fresh wounds that decorated his back- and she was certain they were not from the action back in Washington. He turned around, and there were more on his chest and stomach. In addition to lacerations and bruises, there were also burn marks, which were slowly beginning to heal.

" I'm okay" he said with a soft smile once seeing her worry, " in fact, I'm much better now."

He relished in her smile, " that is excellent news" she reached around him and patted his bottom, " you get in first."

Natasha refused to release his upper arm as she stepped into the tub, which continued to fill up. He slowly sat down, wincing once raw wounds met the hot water. The whimpers continued, but he stopped her when she attempted to add cold water, saying that he felt fine.

The lavender aroma began to kick in once she first stepped into the water, turning the faucet off as she went in. The water was extremely hot, but in a necessary way. Similar to when they were in the jot tub at the beach house, she sat down right behind him. There was enough room in there that he could scoot down, and leave plenty of room. Her arms cuddled around him, and her legs snuggled next to his.

The water was tainted from the salt, but she was still ale to see the deep bruise in the middle of his chest- the one she created when his heart stopped.

" Does it hurt?" her fingers gently running over it, the water holding back any pressure.

" You shouldn't be worrying about that, seeing as you saved my life."

" You should have trusted me to get the job done" she gave him a little nudge, " lean forward, I want to check your back."

Steve muttered something about how his back was fine, but did as told. Natasha retrieved a bath sponge form the side of the tub, drenching it in the water and pressing it to his back. She squeezed the water down his back, he would flinch and jump when the water came in contact with damaged skin, enough that it would disturb the water.

" I'm sorry" she cooed, " but I have to make sure they're clean."

The wincing continued - some were sharp, others were just grumbles. She felt bad, but knew it would soon subside, or at least it should with had never been a time where she saw him in pain, at least pain that he allowed others to see.

" Do you have any more that you want me to check?" she asked.

" No."

" Are you lying to me?"

" No."

" Do you want t tell me what happened in the warehouse?"

" No."

Natasha leaned forward and kissed one of the cuts on his back, causing him to tense. There was no denial that anything had happened to him, to him, but instead, not wanting to explain anything. That scared her even more, that he was holding back anything that he felt like she should never find out about.

" Please talk to me" she bit at her bottom lip, " I want to help you."

Steve began massaging her calf that rested next to him under the hot water, " and I want to protect you from this."

She didn't want to fight him. There were times that she would make it a sporting event, but this had gone beyond that. Her fingernail dragged down his back zig zagging around any cuts or sores.

" Do you remember what you aid to me, about Bucky?" she heard and felt him sigh, " when we were still in the dam, right after the fight on the freeway."

He leaned further away, " I said that if Bucky told me what happened to him when he was captured during the war, maybe it could have prevented what happened to him."

Jackpot.

And he knew that was her plan of attack, which is why he answered in the first place. He turned himself around, now facing her with water wading around them. Natasha sat back against the wall of the tub in preparation, and Steve leaned against the opposite side.

She was able to lay her legs flat on the floor of the stub, but his had to bend as he adjusted to fit himself next to her. She slid down a little lower, as her skin had become too dry from exposure.

" Say whatever you want, but please say something" she kindly asked. She watched him, struggling with the idea of merely speaking to her.

She could feel him trembling when he took a deep breath, her foot brushed against his bare leg, wanting to draw his attention to the bathroom and not lost in his own mind. He looked embarrassed, but maybe he really was.

" I don't know if I can properly process what I'm feeling, at least enough to tell you anything."

" Why?"

" I do't think I'm human" he looked up at her, and then back down at the water, " not, like, literally, I know I'm physically a human, but any other way. My whole life, I've only been used for something and...shuffled around from one thing to the next. I'm a science experiment, that's all I was to SHIELD, even though I did agree to it. But, I didn't agree to any of that with Hydra, and that's all I was to them." He paused, waiting to see if Natasha wanted to say anything, but she didn't, so he continued. " The only person who I ever felt understood was dead, and now he's not, but I still lost him. And that's nothing against you, I love you, and I feel like I'm holding you back because of all this."

Natasha nudged him again, " have you felt like this since coming out of the ice?"

He still didn't know where to look, but he nodded, " if it wasn't for you, I probably would have lost my mind...sooner, at least."

The water gave ease for her to pull herself to her knees and scoot over to him. She straddled his lap, resting over the bottom of his wet boxer shorts. Her arms wrapped around his head, and she pulled it against her chest. His eyes widened at the awkward cuddle, but appreciative as always.

" Don't go crazy" she cooed, " you have me, and you're a human, Steve. And I love you, too."

Steve leaned back, finally making eye contact, " really?" and he had the most dead panned face, too.

" Do I really love you?" he nodded and she leaned back to sit on his knees, " of course I do. Wait, you really love me, right?"

" I do."

He loved the way her nose scrunched when she smiled. A genuine smile, not when she was trying to be coy or malicious, but actually smiling. He loved more that he was the one causing it (usually, he caused the angry face).

Natasha's hands glided through the water to poke at his own, " you're extremely important. I'm sorry if no one else made you think that."

Steve let out a sign that pushed into Natasha's stomach as well, " I didn't say that to start a pity party."

" I know you didn't" she kept to herself how adorable it was that he said ' pity party' during a serious conversation, " I'm really happy you trusted me." Her arms rested on his shoulders, and she pulled him a little closer, " since we're sharing information, I have something I want to tell you."

Steve perked up, " really? What's that?"

Her mouth opened, and out came the slam of a door, somewhere else in the apartment. Both held still, listening closely. Another noise came, and Natasha gasped, her breaths came out in a straining fashion, ever so slowly. Steve's senses were heightened, as they were designed to do, and he swiftly slipped out from under her and out of the tub in one move. Now, he was in Captain America mode.

The only sound in the bathroom was water dripping onto the floor from his shorts. Natasha remained in the tub, watching as he hunched over near the closed door. There was certainly someone else in the apartment, but they couldn't hear anything else.

" Stay here" Steve whispered, his hand reaching for the door handle.

But, she wasn't going to go along with that, " like hell I'm letting someone take you again!"

She hopped out of the bath, pushing him aside to pull the door open and marching into the bedroom.

Steve grabbed a bathrobe off the back of the door and went after her. " Natasha!" he hoarsely whispered, worried that she had gotten so far ahead already. He found himself in a quick jog, but she was already back in the main room.

The intruder, was Nick Fury- standing in the kitchen, finishing off the discarded pancakes from one of the plates. Natasha stopped quickly, her arms moving quickly to cover her chest and stomach, one of which seemed to be causing more attention by being covered in a wet bra.

Fury, decked out in his usual black leather get up (and the eye patch was making a grateful return) let out a long laugh. Certainly not a sarcastic one, more maniac than anything- her experience with him reminded her that this his how he would taunt someone.

Steve finally arrived, letting out a ' woah!' as he came to a stop. The laughter continued, and Steve placed the robe over Natasha's shoulders, bringing instant warmth and comfort.

" I would love to know what it was I just interrupted" Nick cackled.

Natasha frowned in response, " do you have any idea how much you scared us?!" Somewhere in there, Steve muttered a ' hello' while standing behind her.

" Glad to see you're back on your feet, Captain" Nick said, finishing off the pancakes.

" Thank you, sir."

" What are you doing here!?" Natasha snapped, " we've had enough surprises, and enough people showing up, and then disappearing! And...you said you were going to Europe." She pulled the robe tighter around herself, feeling the gazes from both of them, " I'm just saying."

Nick strolled a little closer to them, " things change, and it's a lot harder to lay low when Captain America gets kidnapped by Hydra and used for gene replication experiments. So, here I am."

The robe itself felt like the only thing keeping her together after that one. Those were the details that Steve was holding back, and she heard him making grumbling noses behind her. There were mortifying images that had gone through her mind involving what had happened to him. And now, there was validation.

" And it's not like the majority of you were staying out of the public eye" Nick added.

" Well, for you information, Steve was kidnapped WHILE we were in this so called safe hiding, not to mention right after we got a surprise visitor," it was shock alone that was fueling Natasha's anger.

Steve stepped in front of her, before she became more enraged, " the others said they were going back to the..."

" They were" Fury interrupted, " and now they're on their way to another safe house." All of the sudden, Steve looked sick and Natasha...still looked angry. " And, once you two are dried off, you'll be doing the same."

Steve deiced to let Natasha absorb that for a moment, so he went first, " are we being split up again?"

Fury groaned, packing back and forth before them, " I don' t know yet, but I hope you both understand that, in a way, this is for the best."

" And I hope you understand why we may not trust you," said Natasha.

Nick could never comprehend body language that was ever considered compassionate, but he was under the impression that he knew enough to understand her hostility. At least, her hostility right now.

" Rogers, would you mind giving Natasha and I a few minutes?"

Steve became spooked, like his friend was about to get scowled by a parent and he was going to be an innocent bystander. But, he looked at Natasha, who appeared to be up for the challenge.

" I'll go clean up the bathroom" he announced, and turned back towards the bedroom.

Natasha looked over her shoulder after him, " you should be resting, go lay down, I'll take care of the bathroom after."

" Okay then."

Once Steve was out of the room, Nick laughed again, " never thought the Captain would be taking orders, even from you."

She perched herself on the side of the arm chair behind her, " he's been through a lot, and he's the last person who understands that."

" He's not the one I'm worried about."

" He's the one I'm always worried about."

Nick sat himself on the sofa across from her, " we can blood work on you, after the mission in Washington." His subject change was a necessary one. Blood work after any kind of mission or event was standard, and her body suddenly ran cold upon realizing...

" You're pregnant."

He knew.

But he also seemed to think he was the one making the announcement to her.

" I know that."

His eye widened, " and did you know that while you were running through the city getting shot?"

" No, I only found out a few days ago" she looked over her shoulder again, making sure that the bedroom door was closed, " and please keep your voice down, Steve doesn't know anything yet."

" I don't think this biological procedure was the same in the forties as it is now."

Natasha twitched her nose at the idea that her pregnancy was being referred to as a ' biological procedure' even if by Nick, " no, not that. I think he gets that part, at least I hope he does. There's just some other things I would like to explain to him.

" And to Barton, too."

She snorted, " Clint? why would I explain it to him? I don't even want to explain it to Steve."

Fury narrowed his eyebrows, " why does anything need to be explained to Steve?" but then came the lightbulb, " oh...ohhhhhhhhh."

" You thought Clint was the father?!" Natasha's voice was coarse, but quiet enough to not be heard.

Gossip, or anything of that nature, was never on Nick Fury's radar, " well, I sure as hell did not think it was Rogers!"

Natasha ran a hand through her locks, which were still damp at the ends, " okay, well, now that we have that out of the way, you can't separate me from him" her voice trailed off, like she was objecting that she showed against any emotion in her plea, or any kind of attachment to Steve. Nevertheless, Nick was at least acknowledging the concern, and without the mockery.

" Please don't take me away from him" she whispered.

Nick leaned forward, elbows resting on the top of his thighs, " he's going to want to protect you" and he pointed towards the bedroom, " and thats just you. Once he finds out...he's going to find out, right?"

" He's going to eventually notice a baby, yes."

" He's going back to DC, you two need to figure out if you're going with him or not."

She allowed herself to slip onto the cushion of the chair, " and where would I go otherwise?"

" New England."

" And you wont tell me where anyone else is going?"

" No" Nick rose to his feet, " but, I'll tell you this, we started tracking Barnes."

Natasha rolled her eyes, " between you and me, we're going to kill Steve."

He retrieved a small device from his coat pocket, slightly smaller than an iPod, and handed it to her. " he can be tracked on this, when you think it's a good time for him to know, I'll let you be the judge of that."

She watched the screen, " do you know if he's okay?"

" You tell me, you saw him last." She would sometimes wish that he was more open about knowing everything. " Right now, the only person he's a danger to is himself."

" Well, maybe he can baby sit."

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Natasha hid Bucky's tracking deice, and Nick left soon after. He advised that she would know how to get in contact with him if needed (again, be more open). She was left with instructions to either stay with Steve in DC, or to leave for her own destination soon after. That wouldn't be one she could get away with on her own.

When Natasha entered the bedroom, she found Steve laying on the bed- on top of the comforter, and had returned to the clothes he was wearing before. She couldn't tell if he was sleeping as she knelt onto the end of the bed, crawling until she was positioned just under his shoulder.

Steve was awake enough to roll onto his back, allowing her to snuggle against his side, with her head resting under his shoulder.

" How are you feeling?" she calmly asked.

" Weak" he sounded discouraged with himself, " did Nick leave?" she mumbled in confirmation, tightening her hold on him, " is everything okay?"

She began rubbing his stomach, lightly to avoid any injuries, " he wants you to go back to DC, just for now."

" What about you?"

" He said either I can go with you, or we split up and I would go to Maine...or something."

" That's probably for the best."

Natasha pushed herself up, " what!?" and then she sat fully upright, " you don't want to be together!"

His eyes were suddenly wide, " no, its not that. But, given whats already happened, I think it's for the best."

" Why not?!"

He did feel bad, not wanting to begin the inevitable argument, " Nat, it's not safe" and kept going before he could be interrupted, " she could have been blown up because they wanted me, there is no reason to put you in anymore danger."

She let out a loud, annoyed groan and rolled to the other side of the bed until she landed on her feet. Steve switched on the bedside lamp, and climbed out his side of the bed- so now there was a battleground between them.

" Clint, Tony, and Bruce got RID of the dangerous people, Steve!" she yelled.

" That doesn't mean its safe, that's why we're in hiding and that's why we're going back into hiding. You're safer away from me."

Natasha began bouncing on her heels, becoming more distraught and now holding back tears, " I think we're safer together."

" No."

" What if I want you to protect me?"

That would be the first comment that would strike a nerve with Steve, " really!? That's the best reasoning you can come up with? You're probably mad that I dragged you out of that rubble in New Jersey when you were unconscious. And now you suddenly want me to protect you?"

" Yes."

" Why?"

" I can protect you, too!"

He scoffed, actually amused that she would yell at him and offer sympathy at the same time- perhaps it was the best way she could do it. " And why would you do that?"

Her jaw popped open, she let out a gasp, an abrupt break to the argument that she sort of wanted to continue.

" Because, I'm pregnant."

That's not exactly what she meant to say.

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**Well, it only took twelve chapters for that news to start making the rounds. **

**Also, I did want to thank sailorraven37, as her reviews make writing this so much more fun!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Both Steve and Natasha knew they were not typical, for many reasons. She was having daydreams on the perfect way to tell Steve that she was pregnant- and would never admit that, but she would have them before finding out herself, and now it was a reality. But, they didn't have that luxury, especially now. However, the unique setting may been how they ended up where they were.

Steve's reaction, was exactly what she had imagined. He seemed to have gone pale, and speechless. It looked like she could have knocked him over with a sneeze, or he may have just done it on his own.

" Why?" he finally asked, but then he saw Natasha's face and seemed to snap back to reality, " I'm sorry, I know why. Wait, are you really pregnant? Or did you just want to win the fight?"

Natasha shrugged, " both."

There were small signs of a smile creeping along his face, " you're pregnant?" He needed confirmation, so she gave him a nod, and that was okay. Steve rushed around the side of the bed, and she did the same. They met somewhere near the end of it, Steve lifted her off her feet in an embrace that she was able to sink into. She heard him whisper her name a few times.

It was the moment she wanted, one of relief. The news wasn't withheld for long, but, the surrounding events strained it even more- not to mention her concern on the reaction he would have had. She smiled against his shoulder, where her face was nestled, as he had not yet put her down. Her toes wiggled in excitement, because if even for a brief moment, there was no Hydra, no hiding, nothing scary. Only the two of them.

" I was scared to tell you, because we discussed it that night in the beach house, but, you probably couldn't remember because of what happened."

Steve placed her back on her feet, hie eyes having grown darker as he gazed down at her, " you already told me and I forgot? Nat, I'm so sorry!"

" No, Steve" she brushed her thumb against his cheek, " I didn't mean that as an insult, I only thought I could be pregnant, thats what we discussed. I found out once you had already gone missing."

She knew he would have questions, " how did you find out?"

Natasha moved her hand away, " um, a blood test, I suppose. And then when we got here, Tony brought in a doctor to make sure...everything is okay."

" IS everything okay?" he made a face, " I'm not exactly sure what could be wrong."

" A lot could go wrong" she went on tip toe for a quick kiss on the lips, " but, everything is fine."

Steve kissed her forehead, " I'm still not sure how to process this, but I'm really excited."

" You're not scared?"

His eyebrows flared, " would being scared be considered normal?"

Her entire body fluttered, " I think so. but, like you said, it's a lot to process."

" Well, what did you do when you found out?"

Natasha's eyes fell closed, sighing when feeling his fingers on the small of her back, " I was thrilled at the idea of you being a father. But, then, I was worried that would never happen."

She watched the air rush from his lungs. His hand laid on her back, and he pulled her into his chest, so quickly that she nearly bounced off him. " I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that I scared you like that."

" It's not your fault what happened" she whispered, " no one blames you for what could have happened."

" I'm going to be here, for both of you, I promise I'm not leaving."

She wanted to tell him not to make promises that couldn't be kept- whether it would be in his control or not. But, she looked up at him, there was something else she wanted to plea to him." SO, we're both going back to DC?"

His eyes changed again, " I don't know what we should do."

A beeping sound began from one of the arm bands. Natasha pulled up the offending arm, and pressed one of the buttons to silence it.

" You need to lay down, you're getting a little overwhelmed." She led him to the bed, and climbed on after him. Steve left his arms open for her, and they returned to the same cuddling position from before.

" When will there be...or, well, how long until...when will the baby be here?"

Natasha giggled at his struggle, " I don't know for sure, that's why I have to go to the doctors again. But, from what we can tell, about seven weeks."

" Until the baby is here?!"

" What? no, silly, no. My gosh, we're going to have to get you some books to read up on this. Seven weeks since I've gotten pregnant, probably closer to eight."

Steve's hands gently roamed through her hair before coming to an abrupt halt, " oh...ohhhhh" and she felt that rumble in his chest, " ohh, it was that mission in Greece."

" Yep. That was my calculation, too."

He laughed again, his arm securing around her, " I'm going to be someones dad" he said, " good God, it's a good thing I'm laying down."

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Steve couldn't recall the last time he slept an entire night- no more than a few hours at a time, from what he could remember. Perhaps his time in the ice did hold him over, even if he just joked about it. It was only clear to him that he had fallen asleep when he woke up. What little light there was to begin with in the bedroom was now gone. Natasha was still tucked at her side, sound asleep, he couldn't even remember exactly when they had stopped talking and started snoozing.

The hold a sleeping Natasha had on him was strong enough to press against his ribs, more so whenever he would breathe in. She was afraid he would disappear again, and he couldn't blame her for that. He was careful, very careful, to peel her arms off his body, and scooted every so slightly until he was off the bed.

There was a fleece blanket at the end of the bed that had been kicked away. Steve was gentle to unfold it, carefully laying it over Natasha's sleeping body. She shifted, but did not wake- a job well done.

His eyes squinted in the light of the apartment, once he exited the bedroom. On his way to the couch, he turned off a nearby overhead light. The clock on the wall indicated that it was past midnight. While still rubbing one of his eyes, Steve recognized Natasha's shoulder bag on one of the bar stools. He retrieved her tablet, and dropped another device in the process. He made a face while picking it up, and watched the bedroom door to make sure she hadn't been woken.

When the coast was clear, he plopped down on the couch, and woke up the tablet. Internet searching was still uncharted territory, but he was now able to do it without assistance, so there was improvement. He set off on a hunt.

Forty five minutes later, he was knee deep in a Google search for pregnancy- just to catch himself up. Now, he was too far ahead, and knew too much- way too much. That didn't help. Now, he sat cross legged on the couch, tablet resting on one hand, the other clasped over his mouth, eyes widened that it reflected the light from the screen. The trance became so deep, he didn't notice when Natasha came darting out of the bedroom.

" I thought you left!" she cried.

She looked up, taking a moment to reconnect with the surroundings. Natasha was standing outside the door, arms wrapped around herself. She looked as though she had just retuned form a bad dream.

" I woke up, and I thought you...left me," she added.

He wasn't sure if he had dome something wrong, " I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you."

She let out a sigh of relief and trotted over to him. She sat down next to him, leaning into his side, " Steve, what the HELL is that!?"

He tried to pull the tablet away when realizing that she was looking at the screen, " um, I found a video of child birth on YouTube," it almost sounded like that was intentional, or something that he was proud of. But, he saw the face that she made, " I know," and then he noticed how shaken up she still was, " I'm not leaving you, I promised that."

" It may not be your choice, it wasn't the last time."

The tablet was placed on the coffee table, Steve lifted his arm for her to be able to cuddle closer, and laid it across her back, " don't worry about that, I'm working on a plan."

" And what involves watching someone give birth?"

" That...that was not part of the plan."

She knew that at times, his internet searches got the best of him- which is why no one had told him about Wikipedia just yet. " What were you looking up?"

" Baby stuff."

Natasha nuzzled his shoulder, lightly kissing the back of his shirt and smiled, " so, you're still excited then?"

She could feel him tense up before answering, " yes."

She could also feel fresh blood seeping through the fabric of his shirt, and got up to retrieve the first aid kit that had been left on the counter from when it was ransacked before. " You can be honest, it's okay, I know the news came out of left field." She returned, and yanked off his shirt without asking.

He lean forward so she was able to tend to the stubborn wound, " I can't really...word how I feel about it. But it's not anything bad!"

" It's okay" she began wiping the blood off his skin, " it's a lot, especially with everything that's already happened. This is just one more thing" she ripped open the package for a medicated wipe, " it's important to me that you know that I didn't do this on purpose."

He let out a sharp, quick wince at the pain from the disinfecting solution, " what do you mean ' on purpose'?"

" I didn't get pregnant on purpose."

" On purpose? How could you have done that? I was there, too. Unless there's something I'm missing."

Despite how long he had been awake from the ice, and all the adjustments to the modern world, he still had the innocence where other men would be angry. That's something she would hope that he would hang on to for as long as possible.

" When I first told you I thought I was pregnant, back at the beach house, I couldn't get you off the floor."

He felt the dry bandage being placed over his skin, " I'm sorry. I can't get my head around it. Like now, physically, there is a baby between us. A baby, right now, right there" he pointed to her stomach, " and it's the size of a kidney bean, and it has a tail, and also fingers. But, mostly, a tail."

Natasha smoothed her hand over the bandage, which was in sync with her jaw nearly hitting his shoulder, " well, that's enough internet for you for one night. But, I get it, its a lot to digest. We have plenty of time to adjust." He leaned back, and she draped her legs over his lap, " have you ever thought being a dad?" He shook his head, " really? never?"

" I never really had the chance. There was being a kid, being a punching bag, being a science experiment, and then being a capsicle" he briefly paused, head bobbing along to each statement he made, " and then, there really wasn't time."

" Well, nothing like the ripe old age of ninety-five to get started."

His eyes bulged, " I didn't even think about that," she laughed, and nudged his bare stomach with her foot, " what about you? Aren't all women born with the maternal instinct?"

She rested her head on the couch cushion, " yeah, once" she spoke so softly, and even Steve was stunned by the fact that she ever considered being a mother, knowing what little he did about who she was.

" Really? When?"

" A long time ago, back in Russia. The last serious relationship I was in, well the last relationship I was in, it almost got went that far."

He didn't push for more information, he knew better. Steve didn't lie when he said that she was not her first kiss since 1945, and she remained unaware as to who it was he was practicing with. He kept that information from her, and she would do the same. For the time being, there was no need for him to know that in a different life, she wanted to start a family with the man who was once his best friend.

**As always, thank you all for reading and reviewing!**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

" _I don't think we should go to DC" _Steve had said, _" or New England, or anywhere that Fury says."_

_They hadn't moved from the couch, and a new thunderstorm began rolling into the late night hours. Neither were tired, content, but not tired. They wanted to figure out what was going to happen next. Natasha began feeling ill again, and Steve had her lay down along the couch, with her head resting on a pillow in his lap. _

" _Is that what you were researching before you watched a human baby being born?" she asked. _

_Steve nodded, but she could not see, " Fury is the one who told me not to trust anyone, maybe he expects us to go on the run, and have no idea where we are."_

_Natasha closed her eyes, hoping it would calm her stomach, " so, we go back to New Jersey?"_

" _London." _

_And then, they popped open, " London, England? You think that we should leave the country?"_

_His fingers stroked her hair, gently pushing it back on the pillow, she loved that feeling. " I do, be out of sight, but in plain sight where no one knows the difference. An ocean could be the perfect cover up." He then became nervous when she didn't respond, " if you think it's a bad idea, we can go back to the drawing board."_

" _I trust you to make the best decision" she said, " for all of us."_

" _We're going to need new identities. I know that's your speciality."_

_She let out a laugh, " Captain England."_

_ 0000000000_

**Five Weeks Later**

** 0000000000**

Natasha thought she felt her body being nudged forward, and then roll back to its original position in the bed. It was enough to jolt her out of a deep sleep now she was hanging out on the border. She was still trying to process when the shove came again. Now, she knew.

" Whaaaaat" She grumbled, tasting the pillow case in her mouth, feeling the mattress give way beside her.

Steve scooted closer, pressing up against her back, " Natasha" he whispered, " Natasha!"

The voice, it was the strict captain voice, but with a gentle tone. She sighed when feeling his fingers gliding along her back, " mmmmm, what?" and she was hoping his response would come before she drifted off again. Her eyes were still closed, senses at a minimum.

" Can I touch your tummy?"

Natasha's head turned so fast, she almost took him out, " what?" the question was becoming repetitive, " why do you want to touch my tum...my stomach" her voice remained very light.

Steve pressed his forehead against hers, " because of the baby."

Her eyes closed and she smiled, not sure if he would be ale to see it, " You can't feel anything yet. I can't even feel anything yet, it'll be awhile."

" But there's still a baby."

Who was she to argue, or worse, dampen his excitement. She laid back down, in the same position as before, and lifted her shirt, just enough to expose her protruding stomach. Steve cuddled right behind her, arm curling over her waist, hand splaying over her. It was warm on contact, she let out an appreciative sigh. If there was one thing she never had to worry about, it was his protective instincts, even over something so tiny.

" You never have to ask" she said, " it's your baby, too."

Steve kissed her shoulder, " but, it's inside you."

Natasha's hand stroked his, " you still don't have to ask. Consider this a verbal pass until the baby is born. I'll sign something in the morning if you want me to."

His hand began to move in circles over her stomach, " did you know that you can feel the baby move as early as the sixteenth week? But it could be as late as eight weeks after that."

She smiled again, " no, I didn't know that."

" But, it may take longer for me to feel it. However, the baby is moving now" he paused, moving his hand again, " but, nothing."

" Where are you getting all this?"

Steve opened one eye and looked around, " the internet." It still fascinated him.

Natasha looked over his shoulder, her nose almost brushing against his, " careful what you read, one wrong article and you're going to scare yourself."

But his open eye remained just as bright, " did you know the gender is determined at conception?"

She rolled back and let out a snort, " you sure you don't want to deliver the baby?"

" Yep" he felt Natasha laugh and waited a moment, " do you want a boy or a girl?"

She had allowed for her eyes to close again, " I haven't thought about it, to be honest" she held his arm closer to her body, " I just thought of it as a baby, it's still so small."

The room went silent, and she could feel his deep breaths as his chest pressed against her shoulder blades. She, too, was growing more exhausted and slowly drifting off.

" I think it's a girl" he whispered.

That certainly got her attention, " really?"

He mumbled for confirmation, " a little girl."

" I sure hope it's little" she muttered, " Captain America doesn't want a son to carry on the tradition?"

" A daughter could do that."

She grinned, " you're going to allow your little girl to fight crime?"

Another pause, " good point. But, it's still a girl."

" I love that you want a girl" she cooed.

" Yeah" her hand rubbed over his again adding to the warmth, " I don't know, I just like the idea of protecting a little girl from the big, scary world."

He picked up his head, " I would protect a boy, too. I mean, I will."

" Steve, there is no part of parenthood that I think you cannot handle."

His head plopped down on the pillow again, " not everything."

Natasha rolled onto her back, their hands stayed in the same place, " you'll never rest again, will you."

" I'm over-obsessing, aren't I?"

" Not that it's a bad thing, but we still have months left."

" That's not a lot of time!"

Her hand reached up to lay along his cheek, " are you sure there isn't something else bothering you?"

He pushed himself up higher to readjust, but she took the opportunity to slide under him, but their contact remained, her eyes locked on him. " I just don't want anything to go wrong. Maybe that's a bad way to word it" and he looked away.

Natasha's hand reached for his, she grabbed it and moved it back to her stomach, this time over her shirt that had slid back down. She took a moment to silently admire that any time she did touch her, there was always a soft massage or caress, and she knew that wasn't all for her. It got his attention even if he couldn't feel anything on the other side just yet.

" Everything goes on in here, we just have to make sure everything is ready out here. There's no way for us to be one hundred percent ready, doesn't matter if its our first baby or our tenth" his eyes spasamed when she said ' tenth.' " I know it worried you, that you can't be prepared."

Steve rolled out of her touch and onto his back, though his hand stayed on her stomach, "it's the one thing happening to us that's not a bad thing, and that scares me." She stayed quiet for a brief moment, watching his fingers travel across her shirt. He never complained, not even when provoked to do so. Maybe this was his breaking point, but she was waiting for it, and wanted to catch him.

" So, that's what's bothering you" she whispered.

And she knew he was referring to Bucky, in some sense, though it would not be said, " everything else has been taken away from us."

" I'm still here."

" Yeah, but for how long."

" Steve!" she snapped, slapping his shoulder.

Steve rolled onto his side, his back now facing her, " sorry" he muttered.

He was sincere, in addition to being moody.

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Natasha slept soundly for the remainder of the night, and awoke to the bright sunshine (they really needed to get curtains) as well as an empty bed. She wasn't surprised by the lack of company- in fact, she knew there was a good chance he didn't go back to sleep at all.

Also not to her shock, there was a note that had been left on her bedside table.

_Dear Nat + Baby, _

_I went out for a walk, and didn't want to wake either of you. I'll meet you at your doctors appointment, and I'm so sorry about last night. I love you both- Steve'_

She smiled, and remembered it was a good thing the note mentioned a doctors appointment, because she had forgotten. Finding the best doctor possible was Steve's top priority the moment they set foot in London, and today was the first appointment they were able to schedule- which practically gave Steve ulcers.

She pulled back the bedsheets, her bare feet stepping onto the cold, hardwood floor. The apartment came soon after the doctor, but Steve was just as careful regarding those details. Eventually, they settled on a small, two bedroom location that was above a new age shop. The quaint style was more in Steve's comfort zone, and she was starving for simplicity herself, so it made that decision easy. Anything to counter act his reaction to the store downstairs.

Walking by the bathroom mirror, her reflection would catch her off guard. Not that she actually believed the new, dark brown hair color would really throw off even the dullest bad guy out to get her, but she had been so caught up in all the other changes, what was one more.

Natasha quickly showered and dressed for the day. Her clothing options were becoming more and more limited, faster than she was expecting. Twelve weeks didn't seem too far down the road, but her uterus said different.

" You're calling the shots now, Sergeant" she said, while pulling one of Steve's shirts over her body. This was going to have to be addressed soon.

Her spring jacket, fortunately, still fit, even if she wasn't able to zip it up. She slipped the directions to the office in her pocket and headed out. The little village they chose to start a new life was perfect, narrow streets that were decorated with various shops and other low key attractions. Downtown London was not far, so there was the advantage of the big city blend in without the crowd.

The office was only a few blocks away (and she did make the note that they should probably locate the actual hospital, though it was likely that Steve already had), it was an old home that had been converted, and the waiting room was just inside the front door. Steve was right where he said he would be. He wasn't dressed like he had gone out for a long stroll, but she wouldn't bring that up right now.

He stood up when he saw her walk in, looking like he had dome something wrong. She saw a single rose enclosed in his left hand, which he was quick to hand over to her.

" I would have loved to see you go in for this appointment before I even got here" she said with a smile.

Steve pulled her against hid body, " I'm so sorry" he whispered, breathing in the fresh scent of her shampoo, " I am such a jerk, and I had no right to be speaking to you like that."

Natasha let out a little giggle, " I appreciate the apology, but, you didn't do anything wrong."

" My fears are not your problem."

" Yes, they are" she looked up at him, " we're in this together, and if you have any concerns, I want you to talk to me about it. I can handle it."

He squeezed a little tighter, " I will, but, for right now I think the receptionist is leering at us."

She laughed again, and he released her, " I'm glad you came today."

" Well, I was lucky that there was an opening in my schedule and all."

Neither of them had participated in anything 'work' related since arriving in London- other than settling in to a new, if not fake, life. Steve also found a side job of making sure Natasha pretty much did nothing out of fear, and she knew that staying at home all the time was taking its toll on him. It was starting to drive her insane, as well.

They weren't given the chance to sit down again, before a young nurse emerged from the back hallway and called Natasha's name. Well, she called Cady Grant's name- the name on Natasha's fake passport. That seemed to be their biggest adjustment so far. He would get use to it, maybe. She tired to make it into a game, but for the most part, he was just uncomfortable.

The two were led to one of the exam rooms, being told that the doctor would join them shortly. Steve seemed surprised that he wasn't staying in the waiting room, and even more surprised by everything around him. He stood in the doorway, like he would self combust if he actually went inside. She watched him look around, like everything he had learned about in the current century was eliminated from his head.

" I don't know what any of this is" he whispered, eyes in every direction as Natasha changed into the cloth gown.

She snorted, stepping up to sit on the edge of the leather bound examination table, " you don't have to know all of it" she whispered back.

Steve was studying a chart on the wall, once he had finally gone inside, which illustrated the stages of labor and birth. " I am SO sorry that this is going to happen to you.

" Hey, no, stop looking at that. Stop, come here" she held out her hand, and he did as told, standing next to her at the table, " we're going to get to see the baby, aren't you excited?"

He slowly nodded, " yeah, I am. Hey, I wonder how different it'll look from the last time."

Oddly enough, the only person who knew how the baby looked last time, at least of anyone they knew, was Tony. He never had the chance to give Natasha the pictures from the first ultrasound.

There was a quick knock on the door, and a blonde woman appeared in the room, greeting them with a warm smile. She appeared to be in her early forties, and wore a brightly colored sun dress under her lab coat.

" You must be Cady" her accent was very strong, " I'm Victoria. Well, Doctor Shepard, but lets stick with Victoria."

Natasha shook her hand, " hello, so nice to meet you. This is my husband, Mark" Steve said hello, and mimicked the hand shaking. IT was best that Natasha introduced him by the fake name for the time being.

" Americans!" the doctor seemed delighted with the discovery of foreigners, " how wonderful!" she held the beige file at her side, " mind me asking what brings you both across the pond?"

It amazed Steve with how easy it was for Natasha to play along with a false life. That's usually why she interacted with any new people since moving there, though there had been only a few. Her lies were so effortless that it stunned him. She was amazing at it.

" Well, I wanted to get my Masters at Oxford" the way she spoke sounded just like it did when she told similar lies to the Apple store employee, " I'm lucky to have a supportive husband, especially now with a baby coming."

Except now, they were married, and they even wore wedding bands to play along. Hearing her tell strangers about their marriage, even to their land lady who heard all about a wedding that never happened. IT made him question if he was suppose to propose the idea of a real one. As Natasha continued speaking with the doctor, he tried to read if thats what she really wanted- his best guess was likely not. He was programmed to believe that it was the right thing to do, even if they were going a little out of order.

" Now, your file says you haven't seen a doctor since the seventh week?" Victoria was reading her file again, it was back to business.

Natasha shrugged, " it was a crazy couple of weeks, with the move and all. But, if the vomiting indicated anything, it all seems to be normal."

" Has the vomiting since stopped?"

" For the most part."

Victoria gently tossed the file onto a nearby tray, " wonderful, why don't you go ahead and lay back?"

Natasha leaned back against the leather, the layer of paper crinkling under her weight. Victoria opened a few of the snaps on the front of the gown, revealing her bare stomach.

" What about you, Mark?" she asked while sitting on the stool next to the table, " are you excited about fatherhood?"

He was still getting adjusted to the name, and Natasha was looking up at him as though he was going to give a different response. But, he didn't- " I'm thrilled."

The doctor smiled, puling form the drawer under the table a small device- a portable speaker with what looked like a small microphone attached to it by a black cord. Steve thought technology was getting the best of him (again), but his better half seemed just as perplexed.

" Let's find the little guys heartbeat, shall we?"

The tip of the microphone glided along the underside of Natasha's stomach, slowly making its way around. The sounds that were emitted form the speaker were muffled, dead air. It sounded like they were scanning the bottom of the ocean floor, waiting for any sort of changed. The time seemed to drag on, until, suddenly:

Jackpot.

It was the most peculiar sound, a loud, strong echo of a very consistent, thumping sound. Natasha gasped, and Steve flinched. Neither had expectations on what this experience would be like (heck, Steve didn't know it was possible), but such a vibrant sound kept them speechless.

They also didn't expect the doctor to be just as taken aback as well, but she appeared to be just as stunned.

" That's a heck of a heartbeat" Victoria's gaze grew more concerned, " certainly very fast."

She removed the microphone, and the sounds stopped, though the heartbeat was still fluttering, even if it was going on without being heard.

Natasha propped herself up on her elbows, " is that bad? What's wrong?" and Steve looked as though he would vomit.

Victoria stood up, "I'm going to do a sonogram, just to take a quick look."

She strolled across the room for the proper equipment, and to turn off the lights. In the dark, Natasha's hand reached for Steve's, and their fingers laced together.

" It's okay" he whispered, feeling her tremble.

The wall next to them illuminated with a blue screen as the projector began warming up.

" Have you felt any cramping at all? Any movements?"

Natasha shook her head, eyes tightly closed, " no, I haven't felt anything at all."

Victoria squeezed warm gel onto her bare stomach, and she began having flashbacks to the last time she was in this position. She promised it would be different this time, but ended up being just as scared. She could feel the wand from the sonogram machine traveling across her skin, but her head was turned away. There was silence in that room for agonizing moments.

Then, she felt Steve's hand squeeze a little righter, " look at the baby" he said, having leaned down to get her attention.

And she did just that, trust Steve's judgement since he had looked first. The sonogram was projected on the wall, and frankly, it made the little being look like a monster. The mixture of grey and black coloring made the image more disoriented, but she was able to see the outline of the child's head and body.

" There's the little bugger' Victoria announced, examining the picture just as closely as they were.

They watched the baby's small body as it rocked back and forth in the womb, all this action that couldn't be recognized on the outside. A little hand appeared, rising up near the head.

" Oh, someone knows we're watching!"

Steve looked down at Natasha, whose eyes were locked on the screen. He had never seen them so wide, or focused. Her mouth was opened slightly, and there was no breaking her gaze, but her head stayed firmly in his.

" Is everything alright?" Steve dared to ask.

The wand pressed harder into the pelvic muscles, " yes, I'm sorry if I worried you, but all is well. That certainly is a strong heartbeat, though. There must be some strong genes from one of you two."

Natasha finally looked away form their child and up at him.

" Right here is the heart beat, and there's the spine, this right here looks to be the mouth. And I hope you Americans still plan on celebrating Thanksgiving when you're over here, you'll have a good reason. Now, the date may change, but right now I would pin point it at the end of November."

" Nice to have some clarification on that" Natasha said.

Steve perked up a little, " can you tell if its a boy or a girl yet?"

" Hey!" Natasha smacked his hand, " we haven't decided if we want to know that, yet."

Victoria laughed, " don't let the projection fool you, it's far too early to tell" she flipped a switch, and the baby was gone. The lights came back on. " But, if I had to guess, with that heart beat, I would say a boy. But don't quote me just yet."

Natasha looked up, worried that Steve would be crushed, but she saw the corner of his mouth curl. Her stomach was cleaned off, and she sat up again, readjusting the gown.

" I would like to see you again in four weeks, but please don't hesitate to call or stop by with any concerns" Victoria opened one of the drawers under the counter, and brought out a rather large stack of pamphlets, " help yourself to some free education!"

Once Victoria had left, Steve made a quick dash for those pamphlets, but Natasha grabbed the back of his shirt.

" Easy there, Captain. That's enough for you."

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**I apologize for the delay, but thank you for reading!**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Authors Note: I do apologize for the delay. My laptop had to be sent away to be fixed, and I'm stuck using my old one (so I apologize even more so for any typos or what not). It's a nice long chapter, though! And I've already started on the second one, so hopefully not as long of a wait. **

**Also, I have been to England once in my life. There's a very good chance I'm wrong a lot about what I describe. This is not intentional, and I apologize ahead of time. If anyone lives there, or knows of any corrections, please let me know. **

**Now! On to the story!**

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" I think we should re-visit the conversation of you buying maternity clothes" Steve said as they strolled along the sidewalk after leaving the doctors office.

Natasha looked down at her jacket, which wasn't fastened, and a shirt that belonged to him, " noo, we have tie. I can' be wearing pants with no waistline when I'm barely out of the first trimester."

" Are the pants you're wearing right now buttoned up?"

" Well, that's just none o your business. I'm probably getting so big because I'm housing your genetically enhanced offspring, thank you."

He let out a laugh, " good point, but I can only imagine what the baby will inherit from you."

" I already feel huge" she uttered, " and it's only going to get worse."

His hands found hers, " it's only going to get better" he corrected.

And she swung their hands back and forth " are you sure? That everything is going to be okay?" he didn't say anything, " I worry about you."

" I'm okay."

She cuddled his arm, " and it's okay if you're not. You don't have to hide anything from me."

He stayed quiet again, paying careful attention to getting them safely across the street. " I don't know if talking about it is going to help anything."

Natasha was stunned that there was even such a breakthrough, that he even admitted that something was even wrong. " You can give it a try" still nothing, and he was looking everywhere but at her, " is it the baby? Are you worried?"

" I don't want you to get stressed out over worrying about e. You have a very important job."

Natasha looked up, recognizing the intersection the were at. She stepped in front of Steve, bringing them both to a stop. She gently held both of his wrists in her hands " hey, I want to bring you somewhere. But, I don't want you to et scared, and please have an open mind. I really think this can help you."

His forehead creased, " is it lamaze class?"

She snorted, " no, not yet." She led him around the corner and down the next block. He blindly followed her.

" Hey, do you like the name Victoria?" he asked out of the blue as they strolled along " it's beautiful, don't you think?"

" It is, but, maybe we should start looking at names for a boy. You heard her prediction."

Steve swiftly kicked a lock that was retsina on the pavement, it skipped several feet in front of them, " but, she said she wasn't sure."

Natasha kissed the top of his jacket clad arm, " we can put Victoria on the list. Though, we should probably actually make a list."

" I have one in a drawer at hem" he was worried that he would be scowled for that, but wasn't, " where are we going?" Natasha made a note to look for that list later on, and answered his question by pointing to a dark green shop on the next bock. " We're going to get coffee?" he recognized the building, " that's what you wanted me to have an open mind about?"

" No, this is just the setting."

Steve held the door, and followed her into the cafe. The location, which she referred to as ' poser-chic' (he had no idea what either of those words meant), had the ingredients to give her a migraine. But, they did make the best hot chocolate on this side of the Atlantic.

" She's here!"

Natasha yanked him to the let, where a series of arm chairs and couches were filed along the wall and the large, bay window. They were, however, all empty except or the young girl curled up on the olive green archer. She was reading, and had no idea she was being approached, but that's where Natasha was leaden them.

" Hannah!"

The young girl looked up, and he was immediately taken aback by her bright eyes, which were only made brighter by her pale skin and blonde hair. She seemed happy to see Natasha, so they must have met before.

" Cady, hell!" she greeted, standing and packing her book on the cushion of the chair, " I'm so glad to see you!"

" I was hoping to see you here" Natasha said, then gestured Steve, " this is husband Mark."

Hannah smiled, and eagerly shook his hand, " pleasure to meet you Mark. I've heard wonderful things about you from your wife!"

He would never get tired of listening to that accent. Both him and Natasha sat on the couch diagonal from the chair that Hannah sat on again. " It's great to meet you, too. But, I'm sorry, I don't know what's going on."

At least he was open about it, " well, I would always run into Hanna here, her and I would start talking whenever we were standing in line" Steve cluelessly blinked as Natasha continued, " Hannah just returned for Afghanistan, just a few weeks ago."

Hannah nodded, in case any confirmation was needed. Steve knew better than to assume that any soldier had a specific ' look,' but he would never have guessed that such a frail girl was ever in combat.

" Oh, wow. Well, welcome home. I hope you're doing alright."

Hannah's smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, " thank you, but, no one ever comes back entirely okay. That's why Cady thought you could help, she said that you were deployed, as well."

Steve leaned forward, " I'm not sorry, I'm not sure how I can help?"

Natasha cleared her throat, " Hannah knows a group of young people who have just returned home from war, and…well, they need help."

" I feels pathetic asking for help" Hannah said, looking away.

" It's not" Steve softly said, " but, again, I'm not sure what I can do."

The blonde girl curled her legs along her body on the chair cushion, " the lot of us, were trying to put together a group. Like, for people our age, who are adjusting to having just come back from deployment" she almost seemed embarrassed to be discussing such a topic, but was comforted that Steve was listening so closely, " but, the city won't offer anything of that nature. Don't ask, don't tell I suppose."

Natasha chipped in to give the other girl a breather, " and they also won't fund any kind of formal meeting, because they're too young."

Steve had a scary thought, wondering how young Hannah and the others were. " But, if you have someone old enough, they will" he filled in the blanks.

Hannah nodded, " the leader of the group has to be at least thirty, and a veteran themselves. I assume that you're old enough?"

" Barely" and he heard Natasha snicker.

" I'm so sorry to spring this on you, and we just met. I would understand perfectly if you said no. It's a lot to ask, especially since what you've probably been through and all.

Steve leaned back and evaluated the situation. Hannah looked terrified that he would decline, and Natasha was probably worried that he was going to pass out or something along those lines.

" I would love to help" he announced.

Hannah's eyes lit up, " really?!"

He nodded, " of course. None of you should be let out in the cold."

Natasha nudged him, " I had a feline this would be up your ally."

Hanna leaned over, grabbing one of Steve's hands, " I- we, we can't thank you enough for this. Thank you!" Steve smiled and his partner was relieved to see one that was genuine. The blonde reached into her messenger bag that was leaning against the arm rest, retrieving a small pad of paper and pen- scribbling away. " This is the address where we can meet, it's the church a few blocks over, but in the basement. And, my number. In case."

Steve studied the paper and nodded, " sounds good. When were you thinking about meeting?"

" Tomorrow? Perhaps around noon?"

He agreed, and as soon as he stood up, she threw herself at him, with a hold that had the ability to snap a rib.

" You don't know how much this means to us."

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" I didn't mean to just throw you into that situation" Natasha said later that evening, " They're really desperate."

Steve stood in their tiny kitchen, tending to a pot of bowling water on the stove, " no, it's okay. I want to do it. I think it's a great idea" he broke open the box of dried noodles, " and they should' have to suffer because scene won't help them."

Natasha smirked perched on the stool in front of the counter, " you get to help people again, and you're good at that" she watched closely as he poured the noodles into the water, " maybe it'll help you, too."

He looked up fro the stirring, " what do you mean?"

" They're going to know a lot about what you went through. I feel like you haven't had a lot of chances at that. Even if it is a different war."

" I think so. BUt, they're so young. I mean, assuming they're as young as I think Hannah is."

The stool shifted in a half circle under her weight, as she pushed herself back and forth, " you were young, too. Don't get me wrong, you're a very young ninety-five."

" Thank you."

" Maybe things will feel like normal around here."

Steve turned off the stove and over the pot to the back burner, " what's normal for us?"

Natasha slipped off the stool and leaned along the counter as it curved into the kitchen area, " we can make up our own normal" she stood in front of him, " if we get the chance."

His hands rapidly ran up and down her arms, forming goosebumps, but also contentment, " I wish you would believe that we're going to be alright. But, I don't mind reminding you that I'm not going anywhere."

" That's what the last guy said."

She felt him sigh while toying with the bottom of his shirt, " my guess is, without knowing too much, is that maybe it's good he did that considering what happened."

" He wasn't like that" she muttered.

She was afraid to look at him and she couldn't bring herself to say anything else not on her own.

_' Ask me'_ she thought, concentrating hard enough that she could only hope that he would pick up on it, _' ask me, and i'll tell you that the person your friend became.'_

Instead, she could feel her throat muscles contracting. She swiftly turned around and leaned over the sink to vomit. Steve made a sympathetic noise holding her hair back with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

" I'm sorry, sweetheart. It was looking like this part was over."

Her eyes watered from the heaving, she reached above her head to rinse out both he sink and her mouth, " I guess we'll se the count down back to zero."

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The following morning was cold and gray, and not a single noise to disrupt them. Steve slept late at least late for him. Fr another hour, he laid in bed basking in the silence. Natasha was curled up next to him, sleeping through his restful wakening. There was the occasional murmur that he could not understand, little tosses and turns. At one point, he may have heard her saying someones name, but could not identify whose it was.

For a moment, he was hoping there would magically be a chance that he could contact Sam, for advice on how to handle what it was he was about to experience. But, like the others, Sam was in hiding and it was probably best that he didn't know where at the time. When he finally decided to get up, he leaned over Natasha and lightly kissed her exposed shoulder.

" I'll see you two later" he whispered, and she snored in response.

0

Steve decided to leave earlier and take the long way to church- since it was better than admitting that he wasn't exactly sure where it was. He felt as though getting lost was the best way to navigate their new home. And each time, he was less and less concerned that he would never find the apartment or Natasha again.

He became distracted anytime there was a baby or a all child on the sidewalks, and there seemed to me a lot more than usual. But he never did pay attention before, so he didn't have any statistics to go off of.

' _They're staring at me' _ he thought, _' they know I'm going to fail at this, they can sense it.'_

Then, when standing on the corner, waiting to cross, one particular baby began to giggle. He looked down at the stroller- the little girl with blonde hair and green eyes. The suffocating feline in his chest began to fade. He waved the little being, and she giggled again.

Traffic stopped, and all who were waiting on the street corner began to cross in a bundle. Steve hardly noticed the young girl walking through the crosswalk in the other direction. That was, until she tripped right in front of him. He managed to grab her arm before her entire body hit the pavement.

" You okay?" he asked, crouching down to properly verify that there were no injuries.

Everyone else in the street walked around them like nothing had happened. He assisted the brunette to stand, noticing tears in her black tights, and freshly skinned knee caps.

" Yes, thank you. I'm so very sorry."

When she was standing on her own, she was much shorter than he was, their eyes met and quickly the looked at one another. Both allots spoke like they had just encountered an old friend. The blue eyes, he was sure he knew her. But, the list of people that he actually did know was very small, and she was not on it.

A car honked, Steve looked around and realized the street lights had changed, and people were impatiently waiting.

" Thank you again!" and she scurried off in the other direction.

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Twenty minutes later, Steve arrived at the church. He may have been late, it was harder to find than he had anticipated. The grounds and parking lot were bare, and the main door was locked. He wandered around, and found an open side door, which opened to the top of the staircase that led to the basement. It was old and run down, along with the lingering smell of mildew. He walked ion the nearly empty space, there were only two ceiling lights that worked, and layers of dust covered lonely chairs, along with an abandoned piano in the corner.

On the other side of the street, there was a semi circle of teal chairs, some of which were filled already. Hannah was there, along with two girls and a boy. Steve introduced himself as ark, of curse, and went to work, learning the names and faces. Cara had the black hair, Stephanie had the auburn hair, and Daniel, well, he was the only boy there so far. They were appreciate of him simply walking into the building, showing up in their time of need.

Small talk was made as others began to arrive. He was beginning to suspect name tags would be needed- Elizabeth, Jesse, and Valerie- with only two boys being present. Steve, thankfully, had encountered enough strong women in his wife, which taught him to know better than to question gender equality anywhere- but especially in the army. And not that he felt any less sympathy for Daniel, but to see that many girls who had gone through enough horror that had brought them to where the are right now- it killed hi.

" I suppose we should get started" he said, after some time had gone by since the last arrival, " I apologize, I've never done anything like this before, but I'm happy to be here with all of you." the all waited patiently for him to continue, " why don't we start with an ice breaker. We'll go around, everyone say your name, how long were you one, and how long you've been back."

They did. And based on the infuriation that was shared, he learned that Hannah was deployed the longest, and Valerie had only returned the week before. The group, of course, had asked for his story, and heft awful for lying. Really it was nay the details that were changed, everything else was brutal honesty.

Then, he suggested everyone mentioned something they lost, and then something they felt they gained from the deployment. He felt guilty, asking them to list something they had lost, because no one had to think too hard, and everyone had something. The worse seemed to be Daniel, whose fiance was killed while they were both deployed. The others arid that it was the most horrendous, and Steve reminded the that it was not a contest.

Their responses led to tangents, which made each of them, himself included, more willing to communicate beyond simply answering questions. The ice had been broken, and he was relieved by that, despite it not being the same war, the aftermath was the same. It was a nice change, not that he wasn't appreciative when others offered to listen, but it was mostly Natasha, and sometimes Bruce.

A door slammed, silencing the group, and they all looked back at the opened basement door, which hid in the shadows of the broken lights.

" I'm so sorry I'm late!" a girls exasperated voice called, " I fell in the street, and stopped to get some bandages. The line was horrible!"

She walked into the light, revealing footing came to a stop, shoes squeaking on the tile floor as they recognized one another- it was the girl who had fallen in the street. She then noticed that everyone else in the room was also looking at her.

" Hello, all" she lifted her hand for a small wave, indicating that she hadn't met anyone else in the room before, " I'm Matilda, I, uh, saw your ad online about these sessions, hope its okay" she awkwardly slid into the empty seat at the end of the half circle, " again, so sorry."

She was assured that she was more than welcome. Steve found it oddly satisfying that he recognized someone in the city, someone that wasn't Natasha. " That's okay!. We'll just catch you up. Can you tell the group how long you were deployed and how long you've been back?"

Matilda looked around at the others, who were eager to listen, but she still felt uncomfortable. " Uh, oh, well, I've been deployed three ties in the last six years- maybe hoe for a week or so in-between. I was ,um, sent back on discharge for an injury."

" What happened?"

" Six years!?"

She shrugged at the numerous responses, " I had the urge to stay, I suppose. Fell off a convoy truck during a drill. Stealth shooter, but not so ouch a stealth human being."

Steve perked up, " you're a sniper shooter?"

The others were impressed, there were even a few gasps. Matilda nodded, looking at Steve with a grin, " the first female in my unit."

His excitement seemed to carry on, " my best friend is…was, a sniper shooter." He was not even sure why he said that.

" Was?" Stephanie asked.

Steve scanned the room. He hadn't said anything about himself, he wanted them to get the chance to talk as much as they wanted without any kind of interruption. But now, they wanted to listen.

" He, may friend, was killed. Well, we thought he was killed, but then we found out that he was…taken prisoner." He briefly noticed that Matilda had looked away, but he was distracted when asked if his friend had been rescued. " No, not yet."

The session went on four hours, much longer than originally planned. It only ended when on of the members from the church arrived and kicked them out, saying they needed the space and that time was up. The one thing Steve didn't want to do was pressure them into leaving, which is why they stayed as late as they did. As they filed out, he made sure to promise the next meeting that would take place the following week. He also gave them his phone nubbier, in case anything was needed in between.

The others had left, but Matilda had stayed behind to help Steve move and stack the chairs onto the storage rack.

" You can head out, I've got this under control" he said.

She snatched a chair in each hand, " it's not a problem" and she placed them on the rack, " your friend, you said he's still being held captive?"

" it's a little complicated. We're not sure where he is, which really isn't any better."

" Whose ' we'?"

He cleared his throat, " my wife and I."

Matilda smiled, " that's great that you have someone."

He moved the last chair, " do you?"

" Haven't been home long enough."

The two headed towards the exist, dusk had settled outside and there was a breeze that had arrived, hitting the as they stepped outdoors.

" I must say, I've never heard of anyone going back that much that often."

She looked over at him as they had stepped onto the sidewalk, " for a girl?"

" For anyone."

" I don't know how to describe it, overtime I was hoe, I felt like I needed to go back, like I wasn't done yet. And there wasn't much waiting for me back here. Except now, I'm stuck."

" Maybe not anymore, you could get lucky, find a reason to stay."

She laughed, " here's hoping." They came to an intersection, and Matilda pointed in the opposite direction, " I'm this way."

Steve stopped, panicked, and shook her hand because that was his first instinct and he still had no idea how to handle a conversation with women. At least how to end one. With Natasha it either ended with one of the falling asleep, or sex. " Do you want me to walk you home?"

" I'll be fine, but thank you."

" Well, you have my nubbier if you need anything. I'll see you next week."

They turned their separate ways, and he's positive that as hey were walking apart, he heard her say:

" Have a good night, _Captain_."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

It was late by the time he returned to the apartment, and he felt guilty having been one so long. Natasha was slouched down on the couch, watching some kind of cooking show, with her feet propped up on the coffee table. There was an open magazine on her stomach.

" Hey!" she greeted when seeing that the was finally home.

Steve collapsed on the couch next to her, " I'm so sorry, I didn't expect it to go this late."

Natasha lightly stroked his forearm, " don't be, I'm glad if anything. How did it go?"

" It was...intense."

" Really?"

He slowly nodded, staring straight ahead, " they're so young, and so jilted. I know I wasn't sure what to expect, but, this blew me away."

She pushed herself up, and turned so that she was leaning sideways against the back of the couch to better see him, " but, if it went on this long, it must have been beneficial."

" I hope so" he said softly, " one of them, he's the only boy there, he was in the same unit as the girl he was suppose to marry when they were deployed, and he saw her killed. He saw it happen."

Natasha leaned forward, pressing herself against him, " it's ugly, but they want this help, and now they have it" he remained frozen, " did you talk about yourself at all?"

" Bucky" he felt her sigh, " one of the girls, she was a sniper shooter because she was discharged. That's what Bucky was."

" I remember you telling me about that" she whispered.

Steve looked down at the pregnancy magazine, which had dropped onto the couch cushion, " is that one new? What's in it?!"

She knew he had a knack for a quick subject change if anyone, including himself, had mentioned Bucky for too long. But, in this case, he did seem to be genuinely distracted. " Uh, there's an article I was reading about the different ways to give birth."

Steve stopped flipping through the pages, and did his pre-panic attack, wide eyed stare, " I thought...but...is there more than...how is the baby coming out? I'm sorry, I don't know how else to ask that."

Natasha gently yanked the magazine away from him, " same way as previously discussed, there's just different options for how you can go about the delivery process" his face didn't change, " yeah, relax, we'll discuss that later, don't worry."

" One of the girls in the group called me Captain, do you think she's on to us? Maybe we're not as safe as we thought it would be."

She rubbed his arm again, " did you by chance say you were a captain when you were deployed?"

His nose twitched, " I don't remember, there's a chance I suppose."

" I wouldn't worry about it."

He tried to open the magazine again. In a desperate attempt, she grabbed it away from him and swiftly slid into his lap. Her forehead pressed against his, and it certainly got his attention.

" Hi" he whispered.

Her mouth curled, " you know, we used to be something different. Before I was pregnant, and before the whole Hydra thing, it as just you and me, even if for that brief period of time. I don't want to lose that."

He brushed his nose against hers, " but, it's not going to be just us for much longer."

" I know, but, in the mean time, I'm still here."

Steve watched her, and she gave him a chance to speak, the only sound was whatever dessert was being made on the television behind them. He would never have a chance in any lifetime of properly, and successfully, reading her. But, right now, she was spelling out that she was being neglected. Unintentionally, of course, which is why she wasn't angry.

His body shook as he took a deep breath, strong enough that she felt it. " I'm so sorry" he pushed her up just enough to readjust her in his lap, " I've been too caught up in all this, I'm sorry, I never meant to ignore you."

" You're not ignoring me" she lowered her head to kiss him, " I just don't want to drift apart. Everything is changing, and I need you" she kissed him again, " please don't judge me right now, it's the hormones."

" I'm not judging. I am here if you need anything, you can use me for whatever needs you want."

Natasha laughed, and rested her head on his shoulder, " tell me more about the group, I'm curious.

Steve let out a sigh, not moving away from her stomach, " they're so young. I didn't think there'd be so many of them. I know the session went late, but, I didn't have it in me to tell them no."

She toyed with the collar of his shirt, " did they ask anything else about you?"

" Yeah, a few things. And I feel guilty for lying. I mean, I'm not lying about any actual experiences, just changing some of the details. Like the year, and that whole thing about my best friend becoming a brain washed assassin. I left that out."

" And being frozen in time?"

" Didn't come up" he felt her giggle again, " I"m worried that if they over find out the truth, they'll feel betrayed. I know that wouldn't be the worse of our problems, but..."

Natasha leaned back, resting in his knees, " why don't you tell them?" she stopped him before he could object, " if they trust you this much already, then you can trust them. Tell them, maybe them seeing that even a national hero needs help will make them feel better."

" I'm not a national hero here," at times, he wouldn't feel like one at home either.

" I do believe that stopping Red Skull makes you a hero in any nation that was involved in World War II. Except maybe Germany, but that may be a good thing."

He smiled, it was weak but it was there, " I think if someone like Tony Stark is keeping quiet, then I should definitely be doing the same. We have a lot at risk."

Natasha slid off him, slouching down in her original position on the couch. " I love you, I really do. But, I think we need to reevaluate a few things if you're considering Tony a role model."

0000000000

**Four Weeks Later**

0000000000

" And here we have the baby's legs, and the feet. Those right there are the toes."

Natasha intently watched the screen, as Victoria performed another ultrasound. It had been expressed that the baby was still very small, but the sonogram image (not to mention her stomach) told a different story. She watched the little being swimming around, tiny limbs flailing about.

" Such an active one" the doctor commented, " I'm surprised you haven't felt any of this."

Natasha sighed, " well, I've felt some little flutters, but, I'm not sure if that's the baby or...well, gas. Plus, I don't want to say anything to Mark, he'll just get excited and then bummed out if he can't feel it himself."

Steve wasn't at the appointment. The only opening Victoria had was during one of the sessions at the church, and Natasha made sure he knew that it was too important to cancel. There would be other appointments, and other sonograms. He made her promise that.

" Well, at the rate this one is moving, he'll be able to play patty cake soon enough. Must be something in the genes.

That was an underestimation, unless super-soldier genes were something commonly passed down from parent to child.

" Now, I know I gave you a guess at your last appointment" Victoria moved the wand some more and studies the screen, " but, I can definitely tell you now what this little one is. If you want to know."

Natasha's mouth fell open, though her and Steve had been using the nickname Peanut, there could finally be a confirmation. However:

" I don't know, we never actually discussed if we wanted to find out" but now she had the overwhelming urge to end the mystery. At her request, the next word could be it.

Victoria turned off the machine, not before printing a series of pictures first. " Tell you what" she scribbled on the back of one of the pictures, " I'll put these in an envelope, and if you and Mark decide that you want to know, you can."

She handed the envelope to Natasha, who eyed it as though she carried a lethal weapon (she tried to decode what it was what the doctor was even writing). Right then in there- or in the parking lot once she ran outside- she could rip it open and answer one of the biggest secrets she had. And then, she could pretend she never knew, and finally be one step ahead of Steve.

Oh, who was she kidding. Steve could probably already sense what she had in her possession.

0000000000

Later that evening, Steve gave a good shove at the front door, and went tumbling into the entranceway. He had to do something about that, the door was always sticking. The apartment, form what he could see, was dark except for the small lamp on the table, where the keys were kept, so that he didn't trip over any shoes.

He would have called out for her, but was worried Natasha was asleep. And, she was. He found her in their bedroom, fast asleep on top of the covers. That and a series of candles flickering on both bedside tables, led him to believe that this was not part of her plan, whatever plan that was.

Steve knelt on the bed, leaning over her sleeping body and briefly noticing that she was wearing a Captain America shirt (he was not sure about any bottoms). He kissed her cheek, and kissed it over and over, until she finally stirred beneath him.

" Did I miss an invitation to something?" he whispered.

Natasha rolled onto her back, eyes hazy as she tried to recall her surroundings, " mmmm, damn. I was planning to seduce you."

He snorted, and plopped down next to her, " were you now?"

" And then I felt sick" she turned back onto her side to face him. She was drenched in sleep, but managed to smile. In the flicker of the candlelight, she was beautiful.

Steve gently stroked her cheek, laying only chines away, " morning sickness again?"

" No, but my stomach hurts."

" Are you okay?"

" I think so" her face turned into his hand, " hey, guess what. There's an envelope on the dresser with sonogram pictures. Victoria was able to see the baby's gender, she wrote it on one of the pictures."

Steve's eyes widened, " did she tell you?!"

Natasha shook her head, " I wasn't going to find out without you there, and we never decided if we wanted to find out."

" Well, it's either find out now or find out when the baby's born?" he saw her face change, " I knew that, I'm not sure why that came out a question. Do you want to find out right now?"

She smiled again, " i don't know, I like the idea of a surprise building up, then a big announcement when it's finally time.

" We are due for a happy surprise."

Her feet wiggled in glee, " we are!" and she leaned forward to kiss his nose, " so, we'll be surprised!"

She leaned in more to kiss him again, allowing herself to roll into him, absorbing heat for his body. She let out a sigh, wanting to mold into him as much as possible, it had been too long. He returned the gesture, but was extra delicate. Natasha's eager hands clutched at the front of her shirt, trying to pull him closer, but her stomach was proving to be a solid barrier- literally. Steve had nothing but sympathy for her, especially with how the past few weeks had been. But he couldn't help being curious for what she had planned.

He felt her hips rolling into his, and her hand clutched at the back of his hair. His own were just beginning their journey south, when suddenly there was a solid thud against her stomach.

And his.

The make out session came to a halt, but they only separated a few inches- both were just as stunned.

" Was that you?" Steve asked.

Another thud.

They both looked down, Natasha laid a hand over her stomach (the bottom of the shield on the shirt), " I think it was this one."

Steve bounced backwards, " really?!"

Her hands roamed over the bump, trying to coax out another movement, " I do believe someone was feeling a little cramped."

" Aww, I'm sorry!" his hands jointed hers in the frantic search, as though the baby had gone somewhere, " have you felt that before?"

" No, maybe some wiggles, but I wasn't even sure. This for sure is the inaugural kick" she watched his excitement grow, " you guessed sixteen weeks, you were close."

Steve grinned, " this is the coolest thing ever" but then he looked a little bummed, " it stopped."

" Maybe Peanut went back to sleep."

" Maybe if I stack things on your stomach" Natasha laughed, " can we wait and see if it starts up again?"

She lifted her arm, so he could scoot down, closer to her stomach, " of course. If you're happy, I'm happy."

They stay in their position for several moments of silence. The baby gave up, and soon they did and fell asleep.

0000000000

A cold nightmare woke Natasha hours into the night. The details were not one she could remember, but it left her paralyzed when her eyes finally did open. The bedroom was cold, and the bedsheets were cold sans any body heat that was coming from Steve's side of the bed. It took a few moments to remember where she was, and that she was safe.

She rolled onto her back, and let out a staggered sigh- followed by an uncomfortable groan. There was a pinching sensation in her stomach, the muscles were craping, hard enough that she winched and clutched her abdomen when another one came crashing through.

She sat up and switched on the lamp nearby. After a minute or two of investigation, and more cramping, she decided it was time to call in back-up.

" Steve!" she grabbed his shoulder and shook him, violent enough that he lifted his head on the second shove.

" What's wrong?" he mumbled, eyes still closed.

Her breath, and words, were coming out in broken gasps, " I think...I think something is wrong. I'm bleeding."

Steve sat up, awake in a flash, " bleeding? Where?" He scanned her form head to toe, then realized what she meant, " oh God, okay" he threw himself out of bed, " it's okay, don't panic." He ran around the end of the bed to her side, and pulled the blankets off. She winced in pain, and he quickly apologized.

" It's not you, my stomach, it's cramping."

" Is it contractions?"

" I don't know" she cried, " can you get me a pair of sweatpants?"

He nodded, retrieving them from the nearby dresser. She slipped them on under her shirt, which she then quickly pulled off for a tank top that she had on underneath. He also handed her a zip up hoodie, which was likely his own.

" Okay, here we go" he said, gently helping her from the bed. When she stood up, he hunched over for her arm to drape over his shoulder.

" It's too early" she sobbed as he slowly led her through the apartment. He didn't know how to respond.

Steve stopped near the front door for her to put on shoes, but she nearly fell out of his grip, wailing in pain. Steve scooped her into his arms- bridal style- and did not put her down until they made it to the hospital.


End file.
